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Main Authors: Moretti, Chiara, Alloyeau, Damien, Lermusiaux, Benjamin Aymoz Laurent, Valleix, Rodolphe, Mahler, Benoit, Impéror-Clerc, Marianne, Abécassis, Benjamin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.18270
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author Moretti, Chiara
Alloyeau, Damien
Lermusiaux, Benjamin Aymoz Laurent
Valleix, Rodolphe
Mahler, Benoit
Impéror-Clerc, Marianne
Abécassis, Benjamin
author_facet Moretti, Chiara
Alloyeau, Damien
Lermusiaux, Benjamin Aymoz Laurent
Valleix, Rodolphe
Mahler, Benoit
Impéror-Clerc, Marianne
Abécassis, Benjamin
contents Two-dimensional colloidal nanoplatelets (NPLs) with atomically defined thickness exhibit unique physical properties, yet understanding their formation mechanism and assembly remains essential for tuning their collective behavior. We report an optimized synthesis of triangular cerium-based NPLs with narrow size and shape distributions via thermal decomposition of cerium trifluoroacetate. Combining X-ray diffraction, XPS, and high-resolution STEM, we show that the expected CeF3 NPL structure undergoes partial oxidation, yielding an oxyfluoride composition CeOxFy. Beyond their composition, we investigate how these oleic acid-capped NPLs organize in solution and at interfaces. The choice of solvent governs both the solution-phase organization and the resulting superstructures formed upon evaporation at the liquid--air interface. In solvents that promote face-to-face stacking in solution, evaporation produces films organized into columnar assemblies tens of micrometers long, with the NPL planes oriented perpendicular to the interface. In contrast, solvents in which NPLs remain individually dispersed yield extended hexagonally ordered superlattices with edge-to-edge stacking spanning several micrometers, where the NPLs lie parallel to the interface in an edge-to-edge arrangement. These results highlight that solvent-mediated interactions and pre-existing organization in solution are decisive factors in determining the outcome of evaporative self-assembly of colloidal nanocrystals.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_18270
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Synthesis, Solvent-dependent Self-Assembly and Partial Oxidation of Ultrathin Cerium Fluoride Nanoplatelets
Moretti, Chiara
Alloyeau, Damien
Lermusiaux, Benjamin Aymoz Laurent
Valleix, Rodolphe
Mahler, Benoit
Impéror-Clerc, Marianne
Abécassis, Benjamin
Soft Condensed Matter
Materials Science
Two-dimensional colloidal nanoplatelets (NPLs) with atomically defined thickness exhibit unique physical properties, yet understanding their formation mechanism and assembly remains essential for tuning their collective behavior. We report an optimized synthesis of triangular cerium-based NPLs with narrow size and shape distributions via thermal decomposition of cerium trifluoroacetate. Combining X-ray diffraction, XPS, and high-resolution STEM, we show that the expected CeF3 NPL structure undergoes partial oxidation, yielding an oxyfluoride composition CeOxFy. Beyond their composition, we investigate how these oleic acid-capped NPLs organize in solution and at interfaces. The choice of solvent governs both the solution-phase organization and the resulting superstructures formed upon evaporation at the liquid--air interface. In solvents that promote face-to-face stacking in solution, evaporation produces films organized into columnar assemblies tens of micrometers long, with the NPL planes oriented perpendicular to the interface. In contrast, solvents in which NPLs remain individually dispersed yield extended hexagonally ordered superlattices with edge-to-edge stacking spanning several micrometers, where the NPLs lie parallel to the interface in an edge-to-edge arrangement. These results highlight that solvent-mediated interactions and pre-existing organization in solution are decisive factors in determining the outcome of evaporative self-assembly of colloidal nanocrystals.
title Synthesis, Solvent-dependent Self-Assembly and Partial Oxidation of Ultrathin Cerium Fluoride Nanoplatelets
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.18270