Control over faceting in nanocrystals (NCs) is pivotal for many applications, but most notably when investigating catalytic reactions which occur on the surfaces of nanostructures. Anatase titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) is one of the most studied photocatalysts, but the shape dependence of its activity has not yet been satisfactorily investigated and many questions still remain unanswered. We report the nonaqueous surfactant-assisted synthesis of highly uniform anatase TiO(2) NCs with tailorable morphology in the 10-100 nm size regime, prepared through a seeded growth technique. Introduction of titanium(IV) fluoride (TiF(4)) preferentially exposes the {001} facet of anatase through in situ release of hydrofluoric acid (HF), allowing for the formation of uniform anatase NCs based on the truncated tetragonal bipyramidal geometry. A method is described to engineer the percentage of {001} and {101} facets through the choice of cosurfactant and titanium precursor. X-ray diffraction studies are performed in conjunction with simulation to determine an average NC dimension which correlates with results obtained using electron microscopy. In addition to altering the particle shape, the introduction of TiF(4) into the synthesis results in TiO(2) NCs that are blue in color and display a broad visible/NIR absorbance which peaks in the infrared (λ(max) ≈ 3400 nm). The blue color results from oxygen vacancies formed in the presence of fluorine, as indicated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies. The surfactants on the surface of the NCs are removed through a simple ligand exchange procedure, allowing the shape dependence of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution to be studied using monodisperse TiO(2) NCs. Preliminary experiments on the photoreforming of methanol, employed as a model sacrificial agent, on platinized samples resulted in high volumes of evolved hydrogen (up to 2.1 mmol h(-1) g(-1)) under simulated solar illumination. Remarkably, the data suggest that, under our experimental conditions, the {101} facets of anatase are more active than the {001}.

We investigate the effects of stoichiometric imbalance on the electronic properties of lead chalcogenide nanocrystal films by introducing excess lead (Pb) or selenium (Se) through thermal evaporation. Hall-effect and capacitance-voltage measurements show that the carrier type, concentration, and Fermi level in nanocrystal solids may be precisely controlled through their stoichiometry. By manipulating only the stoichiometry of the nanocrystal solids, we engineer the characteristics of electronic and optoelectronic devices. Lead chalcogenide nanocrystal field-effect transistors (FETs) are fabricated at room temperature to form ambipolar, unipolar n-type, and unipolar p-type semiconducting channels as-prepared and with excess Pb and Se, respectively. Introducing excess Pb forms nanocrystal FETs with electron mobilities of 10 cm(2)/(V s), which is an order of magnitude higher than previously reported in lead chalcogenide nanocrystal devices. Adding excess Se to semiconductor nanocrystal solids in PbSe Schottky solar cells enhances the power conversion efficiency.

We report a simple, solution-based, postsynthetic colloidal, atomic layer deposition (PS-cALD) process to engineer stepwise the surface stoichiometry and therefore the electronic properties of lead chalcogenide nanocrystal (NC) thin films integrated in devices. We found that unlike chalcogen-enriched NC surfaces that are structurally, optically, and electronically unstable, lead chloride treatment creates a well-passivated shell that stabilizes the NCs. Using PS-cALD of lead chalcogenide NC thin films we demonstrate high electron field-effect mobilities of ∼4.5 cm(2)/(V s).

The influence of particle shape on plasmonic response and local electric field strength is well-documented in metallic nanoparticles. Morphologies such as rods, plates, and octahedra are readily synthesized and exhibit drastically different extinction spectra than spherical particles. Despite this fact, the influence of composition and shape on the optical properties of plasmonic semiconductor nanocrystals, in which free electrons result from heavy doping, has not been well-studied. Here, we report the first observation of plasmonic resonance in indium-doped cadmium oxide (ICO) nanocrystals, which exhibit the highest quality factors reported for semiconductor nanocrystals. Furthermore, we are able to independently control the shape and free electron concentration in ICO nanocrystals, allowing for the influence of shape on the optical response of a plasmonic semiconductor to be conclusively demonstrated. The highly uniform particles may be self-assembled into ordered single component and binary nanocrystal superlattices, and in thin films, exhibit negative permittivity in the near infrared (NIR) region, validating their use as a new class of tunable low-loss plasmonic building blocks for 3-D optical metamaterials.

Synthetic methods produce libraries of colloidal nanocrystals with tunable physical properties by tailoring the nanocrystal size, shape, and composition. Here, we exploit colloidal nanocrystal diversity and design the materials, interfaces, and processes to construct all-nanocrystal electronic devices using solution-based processes. Metallic silver and semiconducting cadmium selenide nanocrystals are deposited to form high-conductivity and high-mobility thin-film electrodes and channel layers of field-effect transistors. Insulating aluminum oxide nanocrystals are assembled layer by layer with polyelectrolytes to form high-dielectric constant gate insulator layers for low-voltage device operation. Metallic indium nanocrystals are codispersed with silver nanocrystals to integrate an indium supply in the deposited electrodes that serves to passivate and dope the cadmium selenide nanocrystal channel layer. We fabricate all-nanocrystal field-effect transistors on flexible plastics with electron mobilities of 21.7 square centimeters per volt-second.