Interconnection of Nanoparticles within 2D Superlattices of PbS/Oleic Acid Thin Films

Abstract

Make it connected! 2D close-packed layers of inorganic nanoparticles are interconnected by organic fibrils of oleic acid as clearly visualized by electron holography. These fibrils can be mineralised by PbS to transform an organic-inorganic framework to a completely interconnected inorganic semiconducting 2D array.

Self‐Assembled Magnetite Mesocrystalline Films: Toward Structural Evolution from 2D to 3D Superlattices

“…In the past years, we have prepared and structurally characterized a large variety of inorganic–organic composite mesocrystals (incl. biomimetic materials and nanoparticle self‐assemblies) . In order to classify the material as a mesocrystal it is necessary to combine several techniques to clearly verify the long‐range order at the atomic scale (in at least one crystallographic direction) as well as the existence of nanoparticles in the entire solid‐state material (e.g., by combining electron microscopy imaging and diffraction techniques).…”

Crystal symmetry breaking and vacancies in colloidal lead chalcogenide quantum dots

“…4c) images also suggest that the habit of nanoparticles can very closely approximate that of a rhombic dodecahedron. A recent high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) and Fourier analysis study of the orientational relationship of oleic acid-stabilized PbS QDs forming 2D superlattices showed that the large majority of nanoparticles (>70%) possess a [110] orientation, although a truncated octahedral shape was proposed 22 . All these findings indicate that the rhombic dodecahedron is the dominant morphology in as-synthesized PbS QDs; the nonpolar nature of {110} forms dismisses the hypothesis of asymmetries in the faceting of nanocrystals, making the ferroelectric-type structural distortion a plausible cause for the formation of a dipolar moment.…”

Zinc Sulfide Nanosheet‐Based Hybrid Superlattices with Tunable Architectures Showing Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Properties

“…While the remarkable success in the controlled synthesis of NCs with various shapes has been achieved in the past two decades, the progress in a rational assembly of them into uniform and ordered superlattices has been slow. For instance, previous studies showed that isotropic spherical semiconductor NCs can self‐assemble into versatile superstructures such as superparticles, film, and closed packed arrays that show tailored properties in catalysis, plasmonics, high‐density data storage, and energy conversion . However, for anisotropic NCs that can exhibit shape‐dependent properties and lead to self‐assembled structures with collective properties, there are limited assembly examples due in part to their strong shape‐specific interactions .…”