Flat Colloidal Semiconductor Nanoplatelets

Free-standing two-dimensional nanostructures, which are referenced as nanoplates, nanomembranes, or nanosheets, are at the center of intense research and development. These structures can be metallic, dielectric, or semiconductor and have a controlled and a uniform thickness that is small compared to their lateral dimensions. Some of these structures are grown in solution and emerge as a novel class of colloidal material with physical properties close to the quantum wells and a chemistry similar to that developed for the colloidal quantum dots. They can be easily manipulated, and their surface chemistry can be tuned with methods similar to those developed for the colloidal nanocrystals. Here, we review the syntheses in solution, the properties, and the first applications of these flat colloidal semiconductor nanostructures.