Faceted‐Charge Patchy LnF₃ Nanocrystals with a Selective Solvent Interaction

Abstract

A fast and single-step preparation of patchy LnF 3 faceted-charge nanocrystals are described. These hexagonal faceted nanocrystals allow the spontaneous selective adsorption of cations or anions in the different faces, producing stable and well-defined patches of different charge. The mechanism for the formation of the patches and the properties of the obtained nanocrystals are characterized by a combination of experimental techniques and all-atomic molecular dynamics simulations. The spontaneous dual-charged surface, as well as, the luminescence effects that can be achieved doping host-LaF 3 systems make these new nanocrystals interesting both from a fundamental point of view and for a wide range of applications.