Authors
Y Lin, H Skaff, Todd Emrick, AD Dinsmore, Thomas P Russell
Publication date
2003/1/10
Journal
Science
Volume
299
Issue
5604
Pages
226-229
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Description
The self-assembly of particles at fluid interfaces, driven by the reduction in interfacial energy, is well established. However, for nanoscopic particles, thermal fluctuations compete with interfacial energy and give rise to a particle-size–dependent self-assembly. Ligand-stabilized nanoparticles assembled into three-dimensional constructs at fluid-fluid interfaces, where the properties unique to the nanoparticles were preserved. The small size of the nanoparticles led to a weak confinement of the nanoparticles at the fluid interface that opens avenues to size-selective particle assembly, two-dimensional phase behavior, and functionalization. Fluid interfaces afford a rapid approach to equilibrium and easy access to nanoparticles for subsequent modification. A photoinduced transformation is described in which nanoparticles, initially soluble only in toluene, were transported across an interface into water and were …
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Scholar articles
Y Lin, H Skaff, T Emrick, AD Dinsmore, TP Russell - Science, 2003