The Challenge of Colloidal Nanoparticle Synthesis

Inorganic nanoparticles have developed into one of the main pillars of Nanoscience. Colloidal nanoparticles are particularly attractive as they consist of inorganic particles that are coated with a layer of organic ligand molecules. The hybrid nature of these nanostructures greatly expands the possibilities for property tailoring, since both components can be independently manipulated. The inorganic particle dictates the optoelectronic and magnetic properties, while the organic surfactant layer controls physical–chemical properties such as colloidal stability, making processing in solution extremely facile. This chapter addresses the essential physical–chemical concepts needed to understand the preparation of colloidal inorganic nanoparticles, and the remarkable degree of control that has been achieved over their composition, size, shape and surface.