Morphology-controlled synthesis of inorganic nanocrystals by ionic liquid assistance

Ionic liquids (ILs) assisted synthesis is an effective way to control the preparation of inorganic materials. The unique property of ILs provides new opportunities and has demonstrated great potential for the design and production of the morphology controlled nanomaterials. This review is focused on several aspects of the synthesis mechanism, such as adsorption selectivity of ILs based on the geometric matching principle, utilization of ILs as reaction media for synthesis of concave nanostructures, and the adsorption model for ILs on crystals. The challenge and opportunity in this rapid developing area of IL-assisted synthesis nanomaterials are also discussed.