Illustration of nanomaterial by Liliia/Adobe Stock.
UF Chemist’s Breakthrough Research Reveals Atomic Precision in Complex Chemical Reactions
A research team from the University of Florida’s Department of Chemistry, led by chemist Chenjie Zeng, has successfully demonstrated that complex chemical reactions involving nanomaterials can be performed with unprecedented precision at the atomic level. The research represents a leap forward in the potential development of advanced nanomaterials. The results of their study, published in Nature Synthesis, provide valuable insight into atomic-level transformation chemistry of nanomaterials and present new opportunities for applications in various industries.
The new study focuses on precision nanosynthesis, an innovative technique allowing scientists to manipulate the building blocks of nanomaterials by controlling the starting ingredients, pathways, and final products. The results expand our understanding of semiconductor nanoclusters, tiny structures made of tens to hundreds of atoms in the core and dozens of molecules on the surface that can be tailored for specific applications in electronics, photonics, catalysis, and energy conversion.
“By demonstrating the first atomically precise chemical transformation of semiconductor nanoclusters, we’ve shown that precision synthesis can be extended from the molecular scale to the nanoscale by rational design,” Zeng said.
Zeng joined the University of Florida faculty in 2019, where she leads the Zeng Research Group. With her guidance and expertise, the group has been at the forefront of pioneering research in precision nanochemistry. The research project involved the collaborative efforts of Zeng and graduate student Fuyan Ma, who played a key role in designing and conducting experiments to realize the atomic precision in transformative nanosynthesis. The work is also supported by UF Chemistry’s research facilities, including X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectrometry.
Zeng and Ma closely examined a specific nanocluster called cadmium selenide (CdSe), unraveling the secrets behind several characteristics of nanoclusters and the reaction mechanisms in the process. They were able to unveil the origin of chirality, or the asymmetry of semiconductor clusters, which roots in the symmetry breaking of the icosahedral framework of selenide by the tetrahedral coordination of cadmium. They also discovered the source of polarity, or the distribution of electric charge within these clusters, which stems from the asymmetric distribution of surface-protecting molecules.
In addition to the product, the precise transformation also enables atomic visualization of the complex mechanisms on the cluster surface, intra-cluster, and inter-cluster levels. Armed with this newfound knowledge, scientists can move forward with valuable insight into how nanoclusters behave and advance the design of a wide range of materials with desired properties.
“We hope to show the immense potential of atomic precision in nanomaterial synthesis,” Zeng said.
Read the full study here.
