近日，美国芝加哥大学Dmitri V. Talapin团队报道了氨压力控制熔盐中胶体金属氮化物的合成。该项研究成果发表在2026年7月15日出版的《自然》杂志上。

金属氮化物是一类用途广泛的材料，在光电子、能源和医疗健康技术中有着大量应用。例如，GaN及相关氮化物半导体是固态照明和高功率电子器件的关键材料。TiN及其他早期过渡金属氮化物（TMNs）广泛用于耐磨合金、工具涂层、催化剂和医疗植入物。强的金属-氮键赋予氮化物结构刚性以及化学和热稳定性。然而，金属-氮键的共价性要求高温才能合成晶态金属氮化物。常见的合成路线包括高温固态氮化、超临界氨中晶体生长、分子束外延（MBE）、反应溅射和化学气相沉积。

胶体纳米晶体（NCs）的溶液合成已在化学键相对较弱的后期过渡金属氮化物中得到验证，而早期TMN NCs的合成则颇具挑战，因为所需温度远高于常用溶剂的稳定范围。研究组报道了一种通过金属卤化物与溶解在熔融无机盐中的氨在高压下反应合成难熔金属氮化物纳米晶体的通用方法。成功合成了胶体TiN、VN、GaN、NbN、Mo₂N、Ta₃N₅、TaN、W₂N以及三元Ti_1-xV_xN NCs。这些NCs拓展了可溶液加工的重要技术材料范围。

附：英文原文

Title: Ammonia pressure controls colloidal metal nitride synthesis in molten salts

Author: Lin, Ruiming, Khokhar, Vikash, Jiang, Ningxin, Cho, Wooje, Zhou, Zirui, Wang, Di, Ondry, Justin C., Mi, Zehan, Cassidy, James, Hinkle, Alex M., Filatov, Alexander S., Anderson, John S., Schaller, Richard D., Jiang, De-en, Talapin, Dmitri V.

Issue&Volume: 2026-07-15

Abstract: Metal nitrides represent a large class of materials with extensive applications in optoelectronics, energy and healthcare technologies. For example, GaN and related nitride semiconductors are key materials for solid-state lighting and high-power electronics1,2. TiN and other early transition metal nitrides (TMNs) are widely used in wear-resistant alloys, tool coatings, catalysts and medical implants3. Strong metal–nitrogen bonds grant nitrides structural rigidity as well as chemical and thermal stability4. However, the covalency of metal–nitrogen bonds necessitates high temperatures to synthesize crystalline metal nitrides. Common synthetic routes include high-temperature solid-state nitridation5, crystal growth in supercritical ammonia6, molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE)7, reactive sputtering8,9 and chemical vapour deposition1,10,11,12. The solution synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) has been demonstrated for late TMNs with relatively weak chemical bonds13,14,15,16,17, whereas the synthesis of early TMN NCs is challenging because it requires temperatures far above the stability range of commonly used solvents. Here we report a general approach to solution synthesis of refractory metal nitride NCs by reacting metal halides and ammonia dissolved in molten inorganic salts at elevated pressures. Successful syntheses of colloidal TiN, VN, GaN, NbN, Mo2N, Ta3N5, TaN, W2N and ternary Ti1xVxN NCs are demonstrated. These NCs expand the scope of solution-processable technologically important materials.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10801-3

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10801-3