Assemblies Involving Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles always associate together just as atoms or molecules. Such associations can yield fractal aggregates, or if monodisperse, can yield crystals of crystals (superlattices), or organized monolayer films. Often, the nanoparticle surfaces are ligand capped, and these ligands can govern the association process. By selecting the concentration of the particles, their size distribution, and conditions of solvent evaporation, it is possible to obtain one-, two-, or three-dimensional superlattices.