Synthesis and catalytic applications of uniform-sized nanocrystals

We developed a new generalized synthetic procedure to produce monodisperse nanocrystals of many transition metals, metal oxides, and metal sulfides without a size selection process. Highly-crystalline and monodisperse nanocrystals were synthesized from the thermal decomposition of metal-surfactant complexes. We synthesized monodisperse spherical nanocrystals of metals (Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pd), metal oxides (γ-Fe₂O₃, FC₃O ₄, CoFe₂O₄, MnFe₂O₄, NiO, and MnO), and metal sulfides (CdS, ZnS, PbS, and MnS). We reported the ultra-large-scale synthesis of monodisperse nanocrystals by the thermolysis of metal-oleate complexes. We synthesized as much as 40 grams of monodisperse magnetite nanocrystals using 1 L reactor. By controlling the nucleation and growth processes, we were able to synthesize monodisperse magnetite nanoparticles with particle sizes of 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 16 nm. Multi-gram scale synthesis of CdS, ZnS, PbS, and MnS were achieved from the thermolysis of metal-surfactant complexes in the presence of sulfur. We synthesized uniform Cu₂O coated Cu nanoparticles from the thermal decomposition of copper acetylacetonate, followed by air oxidation. We successfully used these nanoparticles for the catalysts for Ullmann type amination coupling reactions of aryl chlorides. We synthesized core/shell-like Ni/Pd bimetallic nanoparticles from the consecutive thermal decomposition of metal-surfactant complexes. The nanoparticle catalyst was atom-economically applied for various Sonogashira coupling reactions.