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Researchers develop method to synthesize previously "impossible" metal nitride nanocrystals

A new technique using molten salts, heat, and ammonia pressure could expand the use of durable materials in LEDs, medical implants, and superconductors.

Updated Aug 30, 2026 · 15:20 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • Chemists have developed a new method to synthesize nanocrystals from metal nitrides, a class of highly durable materials previously resistant to conventional manufacturing techniques.
  • The breakthrough could eventually allow these materials to be integrated into flexible electronics, printable devices, and medical implants instead of being limited to rigid films.
  • The research, published in Nature, successfully produced nearly a dozen new nanocrystal materials, including titanium nitride, niobium nitride, and molybdenum nitride.

Key facts

  • Chemists at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory developed a synthesis method to create nanocrystals from metal nitrides.[ScienceDaily]
  • The study was published in the journal Nature, with graduate student Ruiming Lin as the first author and Dmitri Talapin as the senior author.[ScienceDaily]
  • Metal nitrides are highly stable, strong, and resistant to heat and corrosion, but their chemical bonds are typically too strong to allow the restructuring required to form nanocrystals.[ScienceDaily]
  • The new method achieves a "sweet spot" by combining a molten salt liquid medium with specific temperature and ammonia pressure conditions to allow metal-nitrogen bonds to break and reform.[ScienceDaily]
  • The team successfully synthesized nearly a dozen nitride materials, including titanium nitride, niobium nitride, molybdenum nitride, and gallium nitride.[ScienceDaily]
  • Funding for the research was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, Samsung QD Cluster Collaboration, the National Science Foundation, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.[ScienceDaily]

What remains uncertain

  • It remains to be seen how quickly or successfully these newly synthesized nanocrystals can be transitioned from laboratory environments into commercial applications.[ScienceDaily]

Sources