Macroscopic materials assembled from nanoparticle superlattices

Santos, Peter J.; Gabrys, Paul A.; Zornberg, Leonardo Z.; Lee, Margaret; Macfarlane, Robert J.

doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03355-z

Cited by 179 publications

(197 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Prior work has demonstrated that the dynamic hydrogen bonding interactions between DAP‐ and Thy‐terminated polymer chains on NCTs are significantly affected by their chemical environment. [ 22,30 ] Therefore, to probe if the origins of the melting temperature elevation were solely kinetic in nature, forced‐equilibrium melts were performed to determine if a thermodynamic effect was also present ( Figure ). In contrast to the prior fixed‐rate melts where samples were subjected to a continuous heating rate, samples in a forced‐equilibrium melt were subjected to temperature jumps of ≈10 °C, then held at that temperature until equilibrium was reached (noted as the point at which the UV‐Vis absorption remained constant) (Figure S5, Supporting Information).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nanocomposite tectons (NCTs) are a unique set of nanoscale building blocks that can be used to construct ordered arrays of polymer‐grafted nanoparticles. [ 21,22 ] NCTs are composed of three distinct parts: an inorganic nanoparticle core, a dense polymer brush coating, and supramolecular binding groups attached to the ends of the polymer chains. The hard inorganic core dictates the overall shape and general size of the NCT, while the soft, deformable polymer chains control the solvent compatibility of the particles, as well as the distance between particles once assembled.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nanoparticle Assembly in High Polymer Concentration Solutions Increases Superlattice Stability

Lee

Alexander‐Katz

Macfarlane

2021

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Polymer nanocomposites are made by combining a nanoscale filler with a polymer matrix, where polymer‐particle interactions can enhance matrix properties and introduce behaviors distinct from either component. Manipulating particle organization within a composite potentially allows for better control over polymer‐particle interactions, and the formation of ordered arrays can introduce new, emergent properties not observed in random composites. However, self‐assembly of ordered particle arrays typically requires weak interparticle interactions to prevent kinetic traps, making these assemblies incompatible with most conventional processing techniques. As a result, more fundamental investigations are needed into methods to provide additional stability to these lattices without disrupting their internal organization. The authors show that the addition of free polymer chains to the assembly solution is a simple means to increase the stability of nanoparticle superlattices against thermal dissociation. By adding high concentrations (>50 mg mL−1) of free polymer to nanoparticle superlattices, it is possible to significantly elevate their thermal stability without adversely affecting ordering. Moreover, polymer topology, molecular weight, and concentration can also be used as independent design handles to tune this behavior. Collectively, this work allows for a wider range of processing conditions for generating future nanocomposites with complete control over particle organization within the material.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanoparticle Assembly in High Polymer Concentration Solutions Increases Superlattice Stability

Lee

Alexander‐Katz

Macfarlane

2021

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“…[53][54][55] Various polymers and polymer mixtures have been used, but one prominent and notable example is certainly the functionalization with polystyrene-based ligands in various studies for controlled assembly in solution and selfassembly into 2D and 3D superstructures. [32,[56][57][58][59] Polymers, in some analogy to NPs, can be considered as a class of materials with endless possibilities to tune and tailor properties via their structure. They offer great potential for the integration of NP superstructures into devices by engineering the chemical, rheological, and mechanical properties of nanocomposites.…”

Section: Ligands For Self-assemblymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Along the same lines, the application of mild pressure and/or heat is a promising approach to obtain stable macroscopic materials selfassembled from NPs. [59,120] For macroscale structures and devices, the thermal and mechanical stability is an important concern and receives increasing attention. [62,63,120] Not all types of NPs are available by reproducible, scalable syntheses in high quality today, and the same holds true for supercrystal syntheses.…”

Section: Experimental Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Notable Approaches to Study Self‐Assembly of Nanoparticles with X‐Ray Scattering and Electron Microscopy

Schulz

Lokteva

Parak

et al. 2021

Part & Part Syst Charact

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several issues far from being resolved: for many systems long-range periodic order is not routinely achieved, reproducibility is often not optimal and truly emergent and new properties arising from the supercrystal formation could be demonstrated for just a few systems. [3][4][5][6][7] From the materials science perspective there is no established figure of merit or common set of parameters allowing to quantify "quality" of NP superlattices and supercrystals. In lieu of such standard procedures, terms as well-ordered, crystalline order, quasicrystalline, etc., are usually used in literature. However, there exist no commonly accepted definitions of what qualifies, e.g., as "well-ordered."In this review, we want to highlight some recent experimental developments and new approaches to study self-assembly of NPs or structure formation of NP supercrystals and their final structure. We focus on NP, the broad field of photonic materials prepared by self-assembly of larger colloidal particles is not covered herein. [8][9][10] The introduction of the basic concepts of NP self-assembly will be kept short and should be considered as an overview, for more background and details excellent comprehensive reviews are available. [2,11] We will then briefly address and discuss the expectations associated with self-assembled materials, especially the proposed emergence of new properties directly related to order. In the second part of the review, we will present recent innovative approaches for the investigation of self-assembly and self-assembled structures that go beyond the standard characterization. We focus mainly on structure and structure formation and less on properties, so most of the studies are based on scattering and electron microscopy. Figure 1 provides an overview roughly following this outline. Self-Assembly of NanoparticlesSelf-assembly is a broad term and occurs on all scales from atoms, ions, and molecules to galaxies, as pointed out by Whitesides and Grzybowski. [12] It can be defined as the autonomous organization of multiple discrete components into ordered structures, driven by energetics or entropy or both. [2,13] In nature, countless examples of highly complex and functional structures resulting from self-assembly can be found, Self-assembly of nanoparticles (NPs) has evolved into a powerful tool for the synthesis of superstructures with tailored properties. The quality, diversity, and complexity of synthesized structures are continuously improving and fascinating new collective properties are demonstrated. At the same time, the rapid development of electron microscopy and synchrotron sources for X-rays has enabled new exciting experimental approaches to study structure and structure formation in the context of NP self-assembly. In this review, some recent studies and what can be learned from them are highlighted and discussed. It is started with a general introduction covering important concepts, experimental approaches, commonly obtained structures, the ideas of artificial atoms, and emerging properties a...

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“…Only in saline buffer will the DNA-coated colloids self-assemble, which greatly limits its applications in other fields, such as low-salt solution environments. DNA alternatives, such as peptide nucleic acids (PNA) and nanocomposite tectons (NCTs), have been recently developed to overcome the weakness [96,97]. Third, the self-assemblies obtained from DNA-coated colloids fall in the periodic crystal lattice, while other structures [98][99][100], such as quasicrystals, have not been reported yet.…”

Section: Summary and Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Programming Self-Assembled Materials With DNA-Coated Colloids

Zhang

Lyu

et al. 2021

Front. Phys.

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Introducing the concept of programmability paves the way for designing complex and intelligent materials, where the materials’ structural information is pre-encoded in the components that build the system. With highly tunable interactions, DNA-coated particles are promising building elements to program materials at the colloidal scale, but several grand challenges have prevented them from assembling into the desired structures and phases. In recent years, the field has seen significant progress in tackling these challenges, which has led to the realization of numerous colloidal structures and dynamics previously inaccessible, including the desirable colloidal diamond structure, that are useful for photonic and various other applications. We review this exciting progress, focusing in detail on how DNA-coated colloids can be designed to have a sophisticatedly tailored surface, shape, patches, as well as controlled kinetics, which are key factors that allow one to program in principle a limitless number of structures. We also share our view on how the field may be directed in future.

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Macroscopic materials assembled from nanoparticle superlattices

Cited by 179 publications

References 40 publications

Nanoparticle Assembly in High Polymer Concentration Solutions Increases Superlattice Stability

Nanoparticle Assembly in High Polymer Concentration Solutions Increases Superlattice Stability

Recent Notable Approaches to Study Self‐Assembly of Nanoparticles with X‐Ray Scattering and Electron Microscopy

Programming Self-Assembled Materials With DNA-Coated Colloids

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