Nanocrystal Synthesis

Nanocrystals exhibit interesting optical, electrical, and chemical properties that are not found in their bulk counterparts. Quantum-confinement effects mean that small changes in their size and shape can have significant effects on physical properties and spectroscopy of nanocrystals. Size and shape control has been a hot topic during the development of the field of nanocrystal synthesis. Current success in colloidal chemistry has produced a great variety of nanocrystals with controlled size and shape, which could be used as functional materials for numerous applications. In addition to size and shape control, phase and composition control also provides additional space to tune the properties of nanocrystals. Further exploration on nanocrystal synthesis has led to the preparation of new-generation nanocrystals, including nanocrystal heterostructures and doped nanocrystals. In this chapter, we present an overview of nanocrystal synthesis with an emphasis on the solution synthesis of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals.