%0 Journal Article
%K transmission electron microscopy
%K room temperature
%K synthesis
%K phase transitions
%K nanocrystal
%K Materials properties
%K Polarization
%K Ferroelectric materials
%K nanocrystals
%K low temperature
%K unclassified drug
%K Article
%K chemical structure
%K phase transition
%K Polar phase
%K particle size
%K Ferroelectric distortion
%K Germanium telluride
%K Germanium
%K Controlled synthesis
%K Crystalline phase transition
%K Low temperatures
%K Monodomains
%K Multiple polarizations
%K Nano-scale system
%K Non-volatile memory application
%K Phase change process
%K Polarization domain
%K Rhombohedral structures
%K Amorphous materials
%K colloid
%A M.J Polking
%A H Zheng
%A Ramamoorthy Ramesh
%A A.P Alivisatos
%B Journal of the American Chemical Society
%D 2011
%G eng
%P 2044-2047
%R 10.1021/ja108309s
%T Controlled synthesis and size-dependent polarization domain structure of colloidal germanium telluride nanocrystals
%V 133
%X Germanium telluride (GeTe) exhibits interesting materials properties, including a reversible amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition and a room-temperature ferroelectric distortion, and has demonstrated potential for nonvolatile memory applications. Here, a colloidal approach to the synthesis of GeTe nanocrystals over a wide range of sizes is demonstrated. These nanocrystals have size distributions of 10-20% and exist in the rhombohedral structure characteristic of the low-temperature polar phase. The production of nanocrystals of widely varying sizes is facilitated by the use of Ge(II) precursors with different reactivities. A transition from a monodomain state to a state with multiple polarization domains is observed with increasing size, leading to the formation of richly faceted nanostructures. These results provide a starting point for deeper investigation into the size-scaling and fundamental nature of polar-ordering and phase-change processes in nanoscale systems. © 2011 American Chemical Society.