Self-assembly of nanorods at fluid-fluid interfaces: Orientation and packing

PMSE 107

Jinbo He1, Qingling Zhang1, Suresh Gupta1, Pappannan Thiyagarajan2, Todd Emrick1, and Thomas P. Russell1. (1) Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governor's Drive, Amherst, MA 01003, (2) Intense Pulsed Neutron Source, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439
The packing of nanorods at a water/oil interface was investigated both experimentally and theoretically. CdSe nanorods were found to assemble at the oil-water interface (on the surface of water droplets) and the structure was probed in-situ by small angle neutron scattering. Upon drying the nanorod-covered droplets on a substrate, the decrease in interface area results in an in-plane compression, and a two-dimensional packing of the nanorods, ranging from smectic to crystalline phases. This observation points to a novel means of manipulating the self-assembly of anisotropic, nanoscopic objects.
 

Synthesis and Self-Assembly Approaches to Polymer-Inorganic Hybrid Nanoparticles
1:30 PM-4:40 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Hilton New Orleans Riverside -- Grand Salon 24, Oral

Division of Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008