Exploring the Generality of PVP‐Assisted Phase Transfer of Nanoparticles

Abstract

For most nanoparticles, the synthetic environment usually differs from the application environment, making phase transfer a critical bottleneck in the exploration of nanotechnology. Herein, a general phase transfer method by using polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and an intermediate solvent is demonstrated. A variety of nanoparticles can be transferred into different media, such as water, polar organic solvent, nonpolar solvent, and polymer precursor, while maintaining their colloidal stability. In the traditional methods of two‐phase transfer, the initial solvent is a powerful competitor, which greatly limits the window of applicable conditions. A two‐step approach where the incubation with the intermediate solvent removes the initial solvent and allows sufficient time for ligand exchange is designed. This avoids the complications caused by partial ligand exchange at the limited area of the interface. Such a method of general phase transfer to different solvents and the understanding of the underlying mechanism would broaden the application of nanomaterials.