Nanochemistry
Summary
Nanochemistry lies at the intersection of chemistry and materials science, focusing on the design, synthesis and functionalisation of nanoscale materials. By controlling composition at the atomic and molecular level, nanochemists tailor properties such as reactivity, optoelectronic behaviour and catalytic activity. Synthetic strategies range from self-assembly of molecular precursors and sol–gel or solvothermal techniques to top-down approaches including lithography and milling. Surface chemistry dominates at the nanoscale, allowing precise modification through ligand exchange, doping or core–shell encapsulation. Nanochemical advances underpin applications in energy conversion, environmental sensing, biomedicine and quantum devices. Recent breakthroughs include atomically precise clusters, hierarchical hybrid architectures and controlled intercalation of layered hosts, illustrating how nanoscale control of charge distribution, phase transitions and interface chemistry yields novel functionalities on a globally significant scale.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Emergent work has revealed that mixed-valence actinide-lanthanide pairs can form unprecedented single-electron bonds within fullerene cages. Crystallographic and spectroscopic studies of ThDy@C₇₈ and ThY@C₇₈ demonstrate direct Th–Dy and Th–Y interactions with clear spin-polarised signatures, highlighting how tailored nanoconfinement alters f-block chemistry. Another study stabilised a diuranium carbide cluster (U=C=U) inside an Ih-C₈₀ fullerene, providing definitive evidence for U=C double bonds with unusually short U–C distances; complementary quantum-chemical analysis confirms the unusual +5 oxidation state and covalent character induced by the carbon cage. Furthermore, research on twisted bilayer MoS₂ has identified an intermediate lightly-intercalated H-phase during lithium insertion, using Raman mapping to uncover symmetry-broken vibrational features. By promoting top-surface lithium uptake and tuning Moiré registry, these studies advance intercalation chemistry and the development of next-generation energy storage materials.
Research from all publishers
A rapid quenching technique has enabled isolation of early gold clusters, capturing non-plasmonic Au₁₀ species during fast NaBH₄ reduction. Precise ultracentrifugation and mass-spectrometry analysis revealed growth pathways from small oligomers to plasmonic nanoparticles, offering new insights for scalable colloidal synthesis. In parallel, analytical solutions of nucleation-growth kinetic models have been derived for mass- and diffusion-controlled regimes, providing exact relations for time-dependent size distributions and induction periods. These models clarify how the ratio of nucleation to growth rate constants shapes polydispersity, informing strategies to produce uniform nanomaterials. Additionally, one-pot sol–gel synthesis of silica gels doped with uniformly distributed gold nanoparticles demonstrated control over size and optical properties via ligand choice; Mie theory analysis linked synthesis parameters to plasmonic resonance and thermal conductivity enhancements, illustrating integrated nanochemistry and materials design.
Nanochemistry publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanochemistry across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Nanochemistry: The branch of chemistry concerned with the synthesis and manipulation of materials at the nanometre scale, where surface and quantum effects dominate.
Mixed-valence: A chemical state in which two metal centres within a single compound have different formal oxidation numbers, enabling electron delocalisation.
Single-electron bond: A covalent interaction where one unpaired electron is shared between two atoms, often observed in confined metal clusters.
HOMO–LUMO gap: The energy difference between the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals, governing optical and electronic properties.
Nucleation: The initial formation of small, stable clusters from monomeric species in a supersaturated solution.
Induction period: The time delay before the onset of rapid nucleation or growth in a particle formation process.
References
- Actinide-lanthanide single electron metal-metal bond formed in mixed-valence di-metallofullerenes. Nature Communications (2023).
- A diuranium carbide cluster stabilized inside a C80 fullerene cage. Nature Communications (2018).
- Observation of an intermediate state during lithium intercalation of twisted bilayer MoS2. Nature Communications (2022).
- Efficient quenching sheds light on early stages of gold nanoparticle formation. RSC Advances (2023).
- General nucleation-growth type kinetic models of nanoparticle formation: possibilities of finding analytical solutions. Journal of Mathematical Chemistry (2021).
- Silica Gels Doped with Gold Nanoparticles: Preparation, Structure and Optical Properties. Gels (2023).
About these summaries
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