Nanocrystals — crystals so small that billions could fit on a fingernail — have revolutionized science and technology, earning the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Yet despite their potential, researchers have only been able to produce them from a narrow selection of materials. Until now.
Chemists at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory have developed a method to synthesize nanocrystals from metal nitrides, a technologically crucial class of materials that had long resisted conventional synthesis. Published in Nature on July 15, 2026, the breakthrough could unlock flexible lighting, printed electronics, medical implants, and more.
"We were able to show how to make a series of nearly a dozen materials that could not be synthesized by traditional methods," said Ruiming Lin, a UChicago graduate student and first author on the paper.
Metal nitrides already play vital roles across modern technology. Gallium nitride powers LED bulbs and laptop displays. Titanium nitride is used in medical implants. Niobium nitride is an industrial superconductor. Molybdenum nitride serves as a widely used catalyst.
Producing these materials as nanocrystals could radically expand their applications. Instead of rigid films, metal nitride nanocrystals could be mixed into polymers, deposited with inkjet printers, or incorporated into fabrics and flexible devices.
The challenge: metal nitrides are held together by exceptionally strong bonds. As a crystal forms, its ions must repeatedly rearrange before settling into the correct structure — much like dancers changing partners. In metal nitrides, the bonds are so strong that ions resist this rearrangement completely. "If bonds cannot break during this process, that's a death sentence for nanocrystals," said senior author Professor Dmitri Talapin. "Once you make an incorrect bond, everything goes south."
The team solved the problem in two steps. First, they used molten salts as a liquid medium to stabilize crystal growth. Then they identified a precise combination of temperature and ammonia pressure that loosened the stubborn metal-nitrogen bonds, allowing them to break and reform.
"This process is very unusual — it goes against every bit of common sense in the field," said Talapin. "We had to entirely rethink the approach."
Using this method, the team produced nanocrystals from gallium nitride and nearly a dozen other metal nitrides. Because these materials are both useful and comparatively inexpensive, turning them into nanocrystals could make them suitable for a much wider range of technologies — from flexible electronics to biocompatible coatings.
"I remember the first time I looked through the electron microscope and saw those crystals," said Lin. "You always hope something you discovered will wind up in applications. I think there will be many uses."
