Fondazione Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia

Mirko Prato

Liberato Manna

Roberto Cingolani

Roman Krahne

Karol Miszta

Andrea Toma

Sergio Marras

Milena Arciniegas

Andrea Paolella

George Chandramohan

Mauro Povia

Alessandro Genovese

Fanny Greullet

We describe a method for patterning of colloidal nanocrystals films that combines a high energy beam treatment with a step of cation exchange. The high energy irradiation causes cross-linking of the ligand molecules present at the nanocrystal surface, and the cross-linked molecules act as a mask for the subsequent cation exchange reaction. Consequently, in the following step of cation exchange, the regions that have not been exposed to beam irradiation are chemically transformed, while the exposed ones remain unchanged. This selective protection allows the design of patterns that are formed by chemically different nanocrystals, yet in a homogeneous nanocrystal film.

Masked cation exchange lithography

Methods for producing lithium iron phosphate or lithium manganese phosphate or lithium iron manganese phosphate, by colloidal synthesis are provided. Such methods include the operation of reacting a lithium salt, an iron(II) halide (and/or a manganese(II) halide) and a phosphorus compound, which, under the reaction conditions, is capable of releasing the phosphate ion, in the presence of an organic surfactant or a mixture of organic surfactants including an alkylamine or alkenylamine, in which the surfactant or mixture of surfactants is capable of dissolving the lithium salt and the iron halide (and/or the manganese halide), where used, in an organic solvent, which is liquid at room temperature, in which the surfactant or mixture of surfactants is soluble, the reaction being performed at a temperature not lower than 250&#xb0; C.

Methods for the colloidal synthesis of lithium iron phosphate

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Chiavari, Italy

Mirko Prato