1. Interfacial Strain in Nanocrystal Heterostructures Moonsub Shim, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
Nanocrystal heterostructures (NCHs) composed of two or more distinct crystalline phases can lead to unique combinations of properties useful in multiple areas. NCHs that exhibit directionality in their structure are of particular interest in technological applications such as energy storage and conversion and catalysis. Providing synthetic control over the spatial placement and the number of one component with respect to the other is the current key challenge. Our efforts in the synthesis and characterization of anisotropic NCHs have revealed interfacial strain dependent morphology of NCHs.
Size-dependent interfacial strain leads to limitations on the number of CdS nanorods that can nucleate and grow on the spherical Fe3O4 nanocrystal seeds.
Second component growth
Interfacial strain in all II-VI nanorod heterostructures can induce curvature depending on the interfacial area and the size of each of the components.
Seed nanorods
Heterostructures with strain induced curvature