Ultrathin PbS Sheets by Two-Dimensional Oriented Attachment

Manufacturing Nanomaterials The exploration of many materials at the nanoscale has revealed properties that only emerge when working at these small dimensions. For device manufacture, materials need to be deposited or assembled in specific patterns. Schliehe et al. (p. 550 ; see the cover) show the oriented attachment of lead sulfide nanocrystals into two-dimensional sheets. The packing is driven by the choice of solvents that influence the interactions between the nanocrystals. The nanocrystals have excellent photoconductive properties and were incorporated into a photodetector without any additional chemical processing.