Functional Organic Nanocrystals

Abstract

The topic in this chapter concerns organic nanocrystals. Numerous scientific researches of nanocrystals are focusing on inorganic compounds such as a metal and a semiconductor. The research related to organic nanocrystals is relatively new compared to that of inorganic nanocrystals. Nearly two decades ago, our research team had developed a novel preparation method of organic nanocrystals, what we call the reprecipitation method. Since then, we have been leading the research area of organic nanocrystals. The reprecipitation method has bottom-up type with a wet process procedure to prepare organic nanocrystals, and organic nanocrystals are obtained as their water dispersion. Numerous numbers of organic compounds are allowed to be a candidate for a targeting of organic nanocrystals by means of using the reprecipitation method. Functional organic nanocrystals have been attracted in a scientific and technological area of materials. In this chapter, first we mention the research back ground of organic nanocrystals, and then introduce the preparation method of organic nanocrystals, i.e. the reprecipitation method, and their improved ones. Then, several kinds of functional organic nanocrystals relating to optoelectrical materials, nanomedicine, and biophotonics are mentioned. Recent topics of organic nanocrystals achieved by several groups are briefly introduced.