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Interfacial Assembly of Tunable Anisotropic Nanoparticle Architectures.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Tang, T-Y; Zhou, Y; Arya, G
Published in: ACS nano
April 2019

We propose a strategy for assembling spherical nanoparticles (NPs) into anisotropic architectures in a polymer matrix. The approach takes advantage of the interfacial tension between two mutually immiscible polymers forming a bilayer and differences in the compatibility of the two polymer layers with polymer grafts on particles to trap NPs within two-dimensional planes parallel to the interface. The ability to precisely tune the location of the entrapment planes via the NP grafting density, and to trap multiple interacting particles within distinct planes, can then be used to assemble NPs into unconventional arrangements near the interface. We carry out molecular dynamics simulations of polymer-grafted NPs in a polymer bilayer to demonstrate the viability of the proposed approach in both trapping NPs at tunable distances from the interface and assembling them into a variety of unusual nanostructures. We illustrate the assembly of NP clusters, such as dimers with tunable tilt relative to the interface and trimers with tunable bending angle, as well as anisotropic macroscopic phases, including serpentine and branched structures, ridged hexagonal monolayers, and square-ordered bilayers. We also develop a theoretical model to predict the preferred positions and free energies of NPs trapped at or near the interface that could help guide the design of polymer-grafted NPs for achieving target NP architectures. Overall, this work suggests that interfacial assembly of NPs could be a promising approach for fabricating next-generation polymer nanocomposites with potential applications in plasmonics, electronics, optics, and catalysis where precise arrangement of polymer-embedded NPs is required for function.

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Published In

ACS nano

DOI

EISSN

1936-086X

ISSN

1936-0851

Publication Date

April 2019

Volume

13

Issue

4

Start / End Page

4111 / 4123

Related Subject Headings

  • Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
 

Citation

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Tang, T.-Y., Zhou, Y., & Arya, G. (2019). Interfacial Assembly of Tunable Anisotropic Nanoparticle Architectures. ACS Nano, 13(4), 4111–4123. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.8b08733
Tang, Tsung-Yeh, Yilong Zhou, and Gaurav Arya. “Interfacial Assembly of Tunable Anisotropic Nanoparticle Architectures.ACS Nano 13, no. 4 (April 2019): 4111–23. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.8b08733.
Tang T-Y, Zhou Y, Arya G. Interfacial Assembly of Tunable Anisotropic Nanoparticle Architectures. ACS nano. 2019 Apr;13(4):4111–23.
Tang, Tsung-Yeh, et al. “Interfacial Assembly of Tunable Anisotropic Nanoparticle Architectures.ACS Nano, vol. 13, no. 4, Apr. 2019, pp. 4111–23. Epmc, doi:10.1021/acsnano.8b08733.
Tang T-Y, Zhou Y, Arya G. Interfacial Assembly of Tunable Anisotropic Nanoparticle Architectures. ACS nano. 2019 Apr;13(4):4111–4123.
Journal cover image

Published In

ACS nano

DOI

EISSN

1936-086X

ISSN

1936-0851

Publication Date

April 2019

Volume

13

Issue

4

Start / End Page

4111 / 4123

Related Subject Headings

  • Nanoscience & Nanotechnology