Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Materials science

Germanium takes holey orders

Nature volume 441, pages 1055–1056 (2006)Cite this article

Soap-like molecules serve as a scaffold for remarkably well-ordered, porous germanium skeletons. The nanometre-sized features of these semiconductor frameworks confer unique optical and electronic properties.

As semiconductor materials are shrunk to the nanoscale, their physical properties begin to alter: colours change, melting points decrease, electron energy bands turn into discrete levels, and reactive surface areas become proportionately larger as particle size decreases1. This applies not only to discrete semiconductor particles, but also for extended ‘mesoporous’ framework structures of nanometre scale. In this issue, two papers2,3 detail approaches to the synthesis of periodic porous structures made of germanium. The optical properties of these materials are shown to depend on their dimensions, composition and the presence of other molecules attached to their surface.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Brus, L. J. Phys. Chem. 90, 2555–2560 (1986).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Armatas, G. S. & Kanatzidis, M. G. Nature 441, 1122–1125 (2006).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Sun, D. et al. Nature 441, 1126–1130 (2006).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Canham, L. T. Appl. Phys. Lett. 57, 1046–1048 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Choi, H. C. & Buriak, J. M. Chem. Commun. 1669–1670 (2000).

  6. Shieh, J. et al. Adv. Mater. 16, 1121–1124 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Kresge, C. T. et al. Nature 359, 710–712 (1992).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Huo, Q., Margolese, D. I. & Stucky, G. D. Chem. Mater. 8, 1147–1160 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Sevov, S. C. in Intermetallic Compounds Vol. 3 (eds Westbrook, J. H. & Fleischer, R. L.) 113–132 (Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, 2002).

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455, Minnesota, USA

    Andreas Stein

Authors
  1. Andreas Stein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stein, A. Germanium takes holey orders. Nature 441, 1055–1056 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/4411055a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/4411055a

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing