Electrostatic co-assembly of nanoparticles with oppositely charged small molecules into static and dynamic superstructures.

ABSTRACT: Coulombic interactions can be used to assemble charged nanoparticles into higher-order structures, but the process requires oppositely charged partners that are similarly sized. The ability to mediate the assembly of such charged nanoparticles using structurally simple small molecules would greatly facilitate the fabrication of nanostructured materials and harnessing their applications in catalysis, sensing and photonics. Here we show that small molecules with as few as three electric charges can effectively induce attractive interactions between oppositely charged nanoparticles in water. These interactions can guide the assembly of charged nanoparticles into colloidal crystals of a quality previously only thought to result from their co-crystallization with oppositely charged nanoparticle

SUBMITTER: Bian T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7611764 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature