SYNTHESIS OF NANOPARTICLES IN THE GAS-PHASE FOR ELECTRONIC, OPTICAL AND MAGNETIC APPLICATIONS - A REVIEW

Nanoparticles, smaller than 100 nm, have many properties which differ from the corresponding bulk material thereby making them attractive fo r many new electronic, optical or magnetic applications. They can be u sed for these functional applications in the form of granular films, n anocomposites or nanophase materials. In this review, the main applica tions of current interest will be dealt with including some discussion s of the underlying phenomena. These applications include quantum dots , luminescent materials, gas sensors, resistors and varistors, conduct ing and capacitive films, high-temperature superconductors, and thermo electrical, optical and magnetic materials. In the second part, variou s experimental techniques for synthesizing nanoparticles in the gas ph ase are described. Finally, the works on nanoparticle synthesis in the gas phase aiming at any of the above mentioned functional application s is reviewed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.