Literature Seminar Abstract

Self-assembly has occurred in nature since the beginning of time, but only in the past 30 years has the term found its way into chemical literature to describe autonomous organization in various systems, from monolayers to nanoparticle superstructures. Nanoparticle self-assembly can be used as a high throughput method for the fabrication of thin-films as well as the formation of 3D architectures. While a wide variety of interactions are known to contribute to nanoparticle self-assembly, surface chemistry is complex, and a major challenge of the field is to elucidate the interactions driving self-assembly. A recent report from Tan et al. uses in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to investigate self-assembly of Au nanoparticles capped with hydrophobic ligands in water. They determine that nanocube self-assembly is orientational and driven by hydrophobic interactions between the ligands and water, and that nanoparticle morphology affects the strength of these interactions. Molecular dynamics simulations provide further insight into the forces governing interparticle interactions. Their work serves as a model for the systematic study of the driving forces in self-assembly.

Tan, S. F.; Raj, S.; Bisht, G.; Annadata, H. V.; Nijhuis, C. A.; Král, P.; Mirsaidov, U. Adv. Mater. 2018, 30, 1707077.