Macromatrices for nanoscale particles

Abstract

Nanotechnology has been explored for several decades, and incredible advancements have been achieved across the field. This huge interest is due to nanomaterials exhibiting a range of unique properties, including the well-known quantum confinement effect that is observed in quantum dots (QDs). These nanoparticles (NPs) are generally prepared and stored in either aqueous or nonpolar solvents, with some of them being sensitive to oxygen, moisture and strong light which hinders their broad applications, in particular, for solid-state lighting and photovoltaics. The best strategy to mitigate these issues is to incorporate the NPs in airtight, moisture resistant, chemically, and thermally stable macromatrices to hold and protect them, rendering them far more suitable for applications. This review presents three main categories of macromatrices explored so far for NP encapsulating, including ionic macrocrystals, organic macrocrystals and polymeric materials. In addition, the corresponding preparation methods for each category of macromatrices and the recent progress in this area have been discussed in details. This review is expected to give the readers distinct insights into this emerging area.