DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.incnc.2021.005
Publication date: 8th June 2021
Colloidal nanocrystals are hybrid objects in which the properties of core and surface both determine the characteristics of the entire nanocrystal. The surface is often capped by (in)organic ligands which determine colloidal stability and the physical and chemical properties. As a result, nanocrystal surface chemistry, i.e., the understanding of and control over the ligand shell, has become one of the central themes in nanocrystal research.
Here, we focus on three aspects. First, we will discuss NMR spectroscopy as a tool for surface chemistry analysis. We will explain the NMR line broadening of nanocrystal-bound ligands (see figure) and show how it can be manipulated or used as a diagnostic tool for assessing solvent-ligand interactions. Second, we discuss the non-innocence of solvents used in nanocrystals synthesis. In particular, 1-octadecene (ODE) and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) are popular solvents but they tend to polymerize or decompose, respectively. Finally, we discuss our recent efforts in designing, synthesizing and evaluating ligands with a very high affinity for the nanocrystal surface. Studying a series of phosphonates and multidentate phosphoric acids, we uncover rules for optimizing the binding affinity and nanocrystal solubility.