Faceted-Charge Patchy LnF₃ Nanocrystals with a Selective Solvent Interaction

A fast and single-step preparation of patchy LnF₃ 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 were 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 by doping host-LaF₃ systems make these new nanocrystals interesting both from a fundamental point of view and for a wide range of applications.