Temperature-responsive binary superlattices prepared by the selective solvent evaporation of O/W microemulsion composed of gold nanoparticles and surfactants

Young Jin Yoon, Jae Min Ha, Hyuk Jin Seo, Jong Dae Jang, Changwoo Do, Tae Hwan Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Binary nanoparticle superlattices (BNSLs) are one of the important classes of nanomaterial architectures for a wide range of potential applications because they can provide synergistically enhanced properties depending on the morphology and spatial arrangement of nanoparticles (NPs). However, although many studies have been conducted on the fabrication of BNSLs, there are still several challenges in achieving BNSLs with a three-dimensional lattice due to their complicated synthesis, hindering their practical applications. Herein, we report the fabrication of temperature-sensitive BNSLs in complexes of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), Brij 58 surfactant, and water via a two-step evaporation method. The surfactant was utilized for two different purposes, i.e., surface modification of the AuNPs to control their interfacial energy and as a template material for the formation of the superlattice. Depending on the size and concentration of the AuNPs, the mixture of AuNPs and surfactant self-assembled into three types of BNSLs, including CaF2, AlB2, and NaZn13, which were sensitive to temperature. This study is the first demonstration of the temperature- and particle size-dependent control of BNSLs in the bulk state without the covalent functionalization of NPs via a simple two-step solvent evaporation method.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12481-12491
Number of pages11
JournalNanoscale
Volume15
Issue number30
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 20 2023

Funding

We thank the Center for University-wide Research Facilities (CURF) at Jeonbuk National University for performing TEM measurements. This work was supported by a Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology grant, funded by the Korea Government (MOTIE) (P0002019), as part of the Competency Development Program for Industry Specialists. This research was also supported by a Korea Basic Science Institute (National Research Facilities and Equipment Center) grant funded by the Ministry of Education and by National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grants funded by the Korea government (NRF-2021M2D2A1A02041482, NRF-2020M2D6A1044636, NRF-2020K1A3A7A09078089, NRF-2020R1I1A3A04036603, NRF-2021R1A6C101B383, and NRF-2017M2A2A6A05017651). This research used resources at the Spallation Neutron Source, a DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Temperature-responsive binary superlattices prepared by the selective solvent evaporation of O/W microemulsion composed of gold nanoparticles and surfactants'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this