NPs with a uniform size are highly desirable in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The synthesis procedure should be simple, easy-to-use, economical, controllable and environmentally friendly. In this thesis, an approach which fulfills all these requirements is presented.

Metal carboxylates was prepared from a direct reaction between metals and fatty acid. The feasibility of reaction between 16 metals with stearic acid was investigated systematically. Nearly monodisperse single metal oxide (iron oxide, manganese oxide, cobalt oxide) nanoparticles (NPs) as well as binary metal oxide (manganese, zinc and cobalt ferrite) NPs with tunable size and morphology were prepared by the pyrolysis of as-synthesized metal carboxylates without using any solvents or surfactants. The mechanism fo...[ Read more ]

NPs with a uniform size are highly desirable in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The synthesis procedure should be simple, easy-to-use, economical, controllable and environmentally friendly. In this thesis, an approach which fulfills all these requirements is presented.

Metal carboxylates was prepared from a direct reaction between metals and fatty acid. The feasibility of reaction between 16 metals with stearic acid was investigated systematically. Nearly monodisperse single metal oxide (iron oxide, manganese oxide, cobalt oxide) nanoparticles (NPs) as well as binary metal oxide (manganese, zinc and cobalt ferrite) NPs with tunable size and morphology were prepared by the pyrolysis of as-synthesized metal carboxylates without using any solvents or surfactants. The mechanism for the generation of monodisperse NPs was found to be related to the surface ligands. The solvent effect on the tuning of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in doped zinc oxide NPs was investigated and the quasi In-rich (shell) @ In-poor (core) structure was found to be the key for enhanced IR light absorption. By using a NaCl-assisted strategy, monodisperse ferrite NPs embedded carbon nanosheets were prepared and exhibited potential application as anode material for lithium-ion battery. Finally, the pyrolysis method was applied to metal and bi-metallic NPs. Ag-Cu alloy NPs with tunable composition showed enhanced stability and conductivity and could be used in printed electronics. The comprehensive study on monodisperse NPs in this thesis provides a new direction and lower cost approach for the preparation and application of high quality NPs in various areas, especially for industrial production.