Dumbbells, chains, and ribbons: anisotropic self-assembly of isotropic nanoparticles.

ABSTRACT: Functionalizing the surface of metal nanoparticles can assure their stability in solution or mediate their self-assembly into aggregates with controlled shapes. Here we present a computational study of the colloidal aggregation of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) isotropically functionalized by a mixture of charged and hydrophobic ligands. We show that, by varying the relative proportion of the two ligands, the NPs form anisotropic aggregates with markedly different topologies: dumbbells, chains, or ribbons. In all cases, two kinds of connections keep the aggregates together: hydrophobic bonds and ion bridges. We show that the anisotropy of the aggregates derives from the NP shell reshaping due to the formation of the hydrophobic links, while ion bridges are accountable for the "secondary struc

SUBMITTER: Lavagna E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10540935 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature