A new recipe unlocks “impossible” nanocrystals for LEDs, implants, and superconductors

Chemists at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory cracked a long-standing problem by developing a method to create nanocrystals from metal nitrides, materials previously too chemically stable to form this way. Using molten salts and precise temperature and ammonia pressure conditions, they successfully produced nearly a dozen new nanocrystal materials, opening doors for flexible LEDs, medical implants, and superconductors.