Mechanism of morphology variations in colloidal CuGaS nanorods.

Cu S nanocrystals can serve as templates and intermediates in the synthesis of a wide range of nanocrystals through seeded growth, cation exchange, and/or catalytic growth. This versatility can facilitate and accelerate the search for environmentally benign nanocrystals of high performance with variable shapes, sizes, and composition. However, expanding the compositional space Cu S nanocrystals while achieving necessary uniformity requires an improved understanding of the growth mechanisms.