---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '21321'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'The development of cost-effective and high-performance thermoelectric (TE)
    materials faces significant challenges, particularly in improving the properties
    of promising copper-based TE materials such as Cu3SbSe4, which are limited by
    their poor electrical conductivity. This study presents a detailed comparative
    analysis of three strategies to promote the electrical transport properties of
    Cu3SbSe4 through Sn doping: conventional Sn atomic doping, surface treatment with
    SnSe molecular complexes, and blending with SnSe nanocrystals to form nanocomposites,
    all followed by annealing and hot pressing under identical conditions. Our results
    reveal that a surface treatment using SnSe molecular complexes significantly enhances
    TE performance over atomic doping and nanocomposite formation, achieving a power
    factor of 1.1 mW·m−1·K−2 and a maximum dimensionless figure of merit zT value
    of 0.80 at 640 K, representing an excellent performance among Cu3SbSe4-based materials
    produced via solution-processing methods. This work highlights the effectiveness
    of surface engineering in optimizing the transport properties of nanostructured
    materials, demonstrating the versatility and cost-efficiency of solution-based
    technologies in the development of advanced nanostructured materials for application
    in the field of TE among others.'
acknowledgement: Y. L. acknowledges funding from the National Natural Science Foundation
  of China (No. 22209034), the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project of Overseas
  Returnees in Anhui Province (No. 2022LCX002), and the Fundamental Research Funds
  for the Central Universities (No. JZ2024HGTB0239). K. H. L. acknowledges financial
  support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22208293). M.
  I. acknowledge financial support from ISTA and the Werner Siemens Foundation. M.
  H. acknowledges funding from Australian Research Council (No. FT230100316). L. L.
  H. and S. H. W. acknowledge the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
  (Nos. JZ2023HGTA0179 and JZ2024HGTA0170).
article_number: '94907072'
article_processing_charge: Yes (in subscription journal)
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Shanshan
  full_name: Xiao, Shanshan
  last_name: Xiao
- first_name: Mingjun
  full_name: Zhao, Mingjun
  last_name: Zhao
- first_name: Mingquan
  full_name: Li, Mingquan
  last_name: Li
- first_name: Shanhong
  full_name: Wan, Shanhong
  last_name: Wan
- first_name: Aziz
  full_name: Genç, Aziz
  last_name: Genç
- first_name: Lulu
  full_name: Huang, Lulu
  last_name: Huang
- first_name: Lei
  full_name: Chen, Lei
  last_name: Chen
- first_name: Yu
  full_name: Zhang, Yu
  last_name: Zhang
- first_name: Maria
  full_name: Ibáñez, Maria
  id: 43C61214-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Ibáñez
  orcid: 0000-0001-5013-2843
- first_name: Khak Ho
  full_name: Lim, Khak Ho
  last_name: Lim
- first_name: Min
  full_name: Hong, Min
  last_name: Hong
- first_name: Yu
  full_name: Liu, Yu
  last_name: Liu
- first_name: Andreu
  full_name: Cabot, Andreu
  last_name: Cabot
citation:
  ama: 'Xiao S, Zhao M, Li M, et al. Band and defect engineering in solution-processed
    nanocrystal building blocks to promote transport properties in nanomaterials:
    The case of thermoelectric Cu            <sub>3</sub>SbSe            <sub>4</sub>.
    <i>Nano Research</i>. 2025;18(1). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.26599/nr.2025.94907072">10.26599/nr.2025.94907072</a>'
  apa: 'Xiao, S., Zhao, M., Li, M., Wan, S., Genç, A., Huang, L., … Cabot, A. (2025).
    Band and defect engineering in solution-processed nanocrystal building blocks
    to promote transport properties in nanomaterials: The case of thermoelectric Cu 
              <sub>3</sub>SbSe            <sub>4</sub>. <i>Nano Research</i>. Tsinghua
    University Press. <a href="https://doi.org/10.26599/nr.2025.94907072">https://doi.org/10.26599/nr.2025.94907072</a>'
  chicago: 'Xiao, Shanshan, Mingjun Zhao, Mingquan Li, Shanhong Wan, Aziz Genç, Lulu
    Huang, Lei Chen, et al. “Band and Defect Engineering in Solution-Processed Nanocrystal
    Building Blocks to Promote Transport Properties in Nanomaterials: The Case of
    Thermoelectric Cu            <sub>3</sub>SbSe            <sub>4</sub>.” <i>Nano
    Research</i>. Tsinghua University Press, 2025. <a href="https://doi.org/10.26599/nr.2025.94907072">https://doi.org/10.26599/nr.2025.94907072</a>.'
  ieee: 'S. Xiao <i>et al.</i>, “Band and defect engineering in solution-processed
    nanocrystal building blocks to promote transport properties in nanomaterials:
    The case of thermoelectric Cu            <sub>3</sub>SbSe            <sub>4</sub>,”
    <i>Nano Research</i>, vol. 18, no. 1. Tsinghua University Press, 2025.'
  ista: 'Xiao S, Zhao M, Li M, Wan S, Genç A, Huang L, Chen L, Zhang Y, Ibáñez M,
    Lim KH, Hong M, Liu Y, Cabot A. 2025. Band and defect engineering in solution-processed
    nanocrystal building blocks to promote transport properties in nanomaterials:
    The case of thermoelectric Cu            <sub>3</sub>SbSe            <sub>4</sub>.
    Nano Research. 18(1), 94907072.'
  mla: 'Xiao, Shanshan, et al. “Band and Defect Engineering in Solution-Processed
    Nanocrystal Building Blocks to Promote Transport Properties in Nanomaterials:
    The Case of Thermoelectric Cu            <sub>3</sub>SbSe            <sub>4</sub>.”
    <i>Nano Research</i>, vol. 18, no. 1, 94907072, Tsinghua University Press, 2025,
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.26599/nr.2025.94907072">10.26599/nr.2025.94907072</a>.'
  short: S. Xiao, M. Zhao, M. Li, S. Wan, A. Genç, L. Huang, L. Chen, Y. Zhang, M.
    Ibáñez, K.H. Lim, M. Hong, Y. Liu, A. Cabot, Nano Research 18 (2025).
date_created: 2026-02-18T10:45:06Z
date_published: 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-02-19T07:32:22Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '540'
department:
- _id: MaIb
doi: 10.26599/nr.2025.94907072
file:
- access_level: open_access
  checksum: aa531f1363538fece12ecfad83456b65
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: dernst
  date_created: 2026-02-19T07:31:15Z
  date_updated: 2026-02-19T07:31:15Z
  file_id: '21330'
  file_name: 2025_NanoResearch_Xiao.pdf
  file_size: 27740524
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2026-02-19T07:31:15Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: '        18'
issue: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '01'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
project:
- _id: 9B8F7476-BA93-11EA-9121-9846C619BF3A
  name: 'HighTE: The Werner Siemens Laboratory for the High Throughput Discovery of
    Semiconductors for Waste Heat Recovery'
publication: Nano Research
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1998-0000
  issn:
  - 1998-0124
publication_status: published
publisher: Tsinghua University Press
status: public
title: 'Band and defect engineering in solution-processed nanocrystal building blocks
  to promote transport properties in nanomaterials: The case of thermoelectric Cu            <sub>3</sub>SbSe            <sub>4</sub>'
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
  short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 18
year: '2025'
...
---
_id: '10587'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Access to a blossoming library of colloidal nanomaterials provides building
    blocks for complex assembled materials. The journey to bring these prospects to
    fruition stands to benefit from the application of advanced processing methods.
    Epitaxially connected nanocrystal (or quantum dot) superlattices present a captivating
    model system for mesocrystals with intriguing emergent properties. The conventional
    processing approach to creating these materials involves assembling and attaching
    the constituent nanocrystals at the interface between two immiscible fluids. Processing
    small liquid volumes of the colloidal nanocrystal solution involves several complexities
    arising from the concurrent spreading, evaporation, assembly, and attachment.
    The ability of inkjet printers to deliver small (typically picoliter) liquid volumes
    with precise positioning is attractive to advance fundamental insights into the
    processing science, and thereby potentially enable new routes to incorporate the
    epitaxially connected superlattices into technology platforms. In this study,
    we identified the processing window of opportunity, including nanocrystal ink
    formulation and printing approach to enable delivery of colloidal nanocrystals
    from an inkjet nozzle onto the surface of a sessile droplet of the immiscible
    subphase. We demonstrate how inkjet printing can be scaled-down to enable the
    fabrication of epitaxially connected superlattices on patterned sub-millimeter
    droplets. We anticipate that insights from this work will spur on future advances
    to enable more mechanistic insights into the assembly processes and new avenues
    to create high-fidelity superlattices.
acknowledgement: This project was supported by the US Department of Energy through
  award (No. DE-SC0018026). The work was performed in part at the Cornell NanoScale
  Facility, a member of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI),
  which is supported by the National Science Foundation (No. NNCI-1542081) and in
  part at the Cornell Center for Materials Research with funding from the NSF MRSEC
  program (No. DMR-1719875). The authors thank Beth Rhodes for the technical assistance
  with inkjet printing, and E. Peretz and Q. Wen for the early exploratory experiments.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Daniel
  full_name: Balazs, Daniel
  id: 302BADF6-85FC-11EA-9E3B-B9493DDC885E
  last_name: Balazs
  orcid: 0000-0001-7597-043X
- first_name: N. Deniz
  full_name: Erkan, N. Deniz
  last_name: Erkan
- first_name: Michelle
  full_name: Quien, Michelle
  last_name: Quien
- first_name: Tobias
  full_name: Hanrath, Tobias
  last_name: Hanrath
citation:
  ama: Balazs D, Erkan ND, Quien M, Hanrath T. Inkjet printing of epitaxially connected
    nanocrystal superlattices. <i>Nano Research</i>. 2022;15(5):4536–4543. doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-4022-7">10.1007/s12274-021-4022-7</a>
  apa: Balazs, D., Erkan, N. D., Quien, M., &#38; Hanrath, T. (2022). Inkjet printing
    of epitaxially connected nanocrystal superlattices. <i>Nano Research</i>. Springer
    Nature. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-4022-7">https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-4022-7</a>
  chicago: Balazs, Daniel, N. Deniz Erkan, Michelle Quien, and Tobias Hanrath. “Inkjet
    Printing of Epitaxially Connected Nanocrystal Superlattices.” <i>Nano Research</i>.
    Springer Nature, 2022. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-4022-7">https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-4022-7</a>.
  ieee: D. Balazs, N. D. Erkan, M. Quien, and T. Hanrath, “Inkjet printing of epitaxially
    connected nanocrystal superlattices,” <i>Nano Research</i>, vol. 15, no. 5. Springer
    Nature, pp. 4536–4543, 2022.
  ista: Balazs D, Erkan ND, Quien M, Hanrath T. 2022. Inkjet printing of epitaxially
    connected nanocrystal superlattices. Nano Research. 15(5), 4536–4543.
  mla: Balazs, Daniel, et al. “Inkjet Printing of Epitaxially Connected Nanocrystal
    Superlattices.” <i>Nano Research</i>, vol. 15, no. 5, Springer Nature, 2022, pp.
    4536–4543, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-4022-7">10.1007/s12274-021-4022-7</a>.
  short: D. Balazs, N.D. Erkan, M. Quien, T. Hanrath, Nano Research 15 (2022) 4536–4543.
date_created: 2022-01-02T23:01:34Z
date_published: 2022-05-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-08-02T13:47:21Z
day: '01'
department:
- _id: MaIb
doi: 10.1007/s12274-021-4022-7
external_id:
  isi:
  - '000735340300001'
intvolume: '        15'
isi: 1
issue: '5'
keyword:
- interfacial assembly
- colloidal nanocrystal
- superlattice
- inkjet printing
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1837946
month: '05'
oa: 1
oa_version: Submitted Version
page: 4536–4543
publication: Nano Research
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1998-0000
  issn:
  - 1998-0124
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Nature
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Inkjet printing of epitaxially connected nanocrystal superlattices
type: journal_article
user_id: 4359f0d1-fa6c-11eb-b949-802e58b17ae8
volume: 15
year: '2022'
...