Sono-Fragmentation of 1D Materials for Synthesis of Ultra-Small Nanoparticles

A method for synthesizing nanoparticles by sonofragmentation includes dispersing ultra-thin substrate units in a solvent chosen for suitability for sonofragmentation of the substrate, forming a suspension; ultrasonicating the suspension for a length of time sufficient to fragment the substrate into nanoparticles that are dispersed in the solvent; and evaporating the solvent. Solvent exchange with a second solvent may be performed. The synthesized nanoparticles are highly crystalline and monodispersed. The surface of the synthesized nanoparticles may be functionalized by choosing the solvents according to chemistry related to the intended surface functionalization of the synthesized nanoparticles, by adding surfactants to one or more of the solvents, and/or by performing ligand exchange or chemical modification to replace surface-bonded solvent or surfactant molecules with other functional groups to produce nanoparticles having the desired surface functionalization.