Synthesis of lanthanide chalcogenide nanoparticles

This review provides an overview of the synthesis of lanthanide chalcogenide nanoparticles, and a selection of the magnetic and optical properties. The use of single-sourced precursors based on the dithiocarbamates (-S₂CNR₂, R = alkyl) opened the door to the synthesis of europium sulfide nanomaterials. The europium monochalcogenides, EuX, are semiconductors with a full range of magnetic coupling depending on the chalcogen, X. The magnetic circular dichroism of these materials demonstrates conduction band splitting, a property that explains the novel spin filtering ability of the europium monochalocogenides. Precursors prepared from another class of ligands, the di-chalco-phosphinates (X₂PR₂, X = S, Se), provided a comparison with the carbamates and extended the work to lanthanide selenides. We also highlighted the synthesis of a series of novel LnSe₂ nanosheets, which provide a lanthanide analog to the transition metal dichalcogenides with similar properties and striking aniosotropic nanocrystal growth. These materials are placed in the broader context of lanthanide chalcogenide nanomaterials, emphasizing the advantages of molecular precursors in tuning phase and morphology.