Electrostatically Assembled Open Square and Checkerboard Superlattices

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Nayak, Binay P., Wang, Wenjie, Zhang, Honghu, Ocko, Benjamin M., Travesset, Alex, Mallapragada, Surya K., Vaknin, David
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Nayak, Binay P.
Wang, Wenjie
Zhang, Honghu
Ocko, Benjamin M.
Travesset, Alex
Mallapragada, Surya K.
Vaknin, David
author_facet Nayak, Binay P.
Wang, Wenjie
Zhang, Honghu
Ocko, Benjamin M.
Travesset, Alex
Mallapragada, Surya K.
Vaknin, David
contents Programmable assembly of nanoparticles into structures other than hexagonal lattices remains challenging. Assembling an open checkerboard or square lattice is harder to achieve compared to a close-packed hexagonal structure. Here, we introduce a unified, robust approach to assemble nanoparticles into a diverse family of two-dimensional superlattices at the liquid-air interface. Gold nanoparticles are grafted with pH-responsive, water-soluble poly(ethylene glycol) chains terminating in -COOH or -NH2 end groups, enabling control over interparticle interactions, while the grafted polymer's molecular weight dictates its conformation. This combined control crystallizes checkerboard, simple-square, and body-centered honeycomb superlattices. We find that even for identical nanoparticle core sizes, the polymer's molecular weight dictates superlattice symmetry and stability. Furthermore, tuning pH induces structural transitions between different lattice types. This method opens new avenues for the programmable fabrication of colloidal superstructures with tailored architectures.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_08989
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Electrostatically Assembled Open Square and Checkerboard Superlattices
Nayak, Binay P.
Wang, Wenjie
Zhang, Honghu
Ocko, Benjamin M.
Travesset, Alex
Mallapragada, Surya K.
Vaknin, David
Soft Condensed Matter
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
Programmable assembly of nanoparticles into structures other than hexagonal lattices remains challenging. Assembling an open checkerboard or square lattice is harder to achieve compared to a close-packed hexagonal structure. Here, we introduce a unified, robust approach to assemble nanoparticles into a diverse family of two-dimensional superlattices at the liquid-air interface. Gold nanoparticles are grafted with pH-responsive, water-soluble poly(ethylene glycol) chains terminating in -COOH or -NH2 end groups, enabling control over interparticle interactions, while the grafted polymer's molecular weight dictates its conformation. This combined control crystallizes checkerboard, simple-square, and body-centered honeycomb superlattices. We find that even for identical nanoparticle core sizes, the polymer's molecular weight dictates superlattice symmetry and stability. Furthermore, tuning pH induces structural transitions between different lattice types. This method opens new avenues for the programmable fabrication of colloidal superstructures with tailored architectures.
title Electrostatically Assembled Open Square and Checkerboard Superlattices
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.08989