Learning from Metal Nanocrystal Heterogeneity: A Need for Information-Rich and High-Throughput Single-Nanocrystal Measurements

Metal nanocrystals (NCs) show utility in a variety of applications due to their unique structure-dependent properties. Isolating these structure–property relationships is crucial for NC design, but heterogeneities present in NC ensembles as well as limitations in NC characterization strategies complicate this goal. Herein, we describe the various types of intraparticle and interparticle heterogeneities common to NC ensembles and then provide a detailed description and comparison of single-particle techniques that can be used to characterize these different heterogeneities. Case studies then showcase the use of multimodal characterization approaches, where multiple, primarily single-NC techniques are used in tandem to provide new insights into metal NC structure–property relationships. We conclude with a critique of single-NC techniques that motivates the development of new high-throughput and high-resolution single-NC characterization approaches as well as computational tools, with a proposed workflow outlined to accelerate NC design and discovery.