Observations of nanoparticle superlattice formation over minutes during colloidal nanoparticle synthesis elude description by conventional understanding of self-assembly, which theorizes superlattices require extended formation times to allow for diffusively driven annealing of packing defects. It remains unclear how nanoparticle position annealing occurs on such short time scales despite the rapid superlattice growth kinetics. Here we utilize liquid phase transmission electron microscopy to directly image the self-assembly of platinum nanoparticles into close packed supraparticles over tens of seconds during nanoparticle synthesis. Electron-beam induced reduction of an aqueous platinum precursor formed monodisperse 2–3 nm platinum nanoparticles that simultaneously self-assembled over tens of seconds into 3D supraparticles, some of which showed crystalline ordered domains. Experimentally varying the interparticle interactions ( e.g. , electrostatic, steric interactions) by changing precursor chemistry revealed that supraparticle formation was driven by weak attractive van der Waals forces balanced by short ranged repulsive steric interactions. Growth kinetic measurements and an interparticle interaction model demonstrated that nanoparticle surface diffusion rates on the supraparticles were orders of magnitude faster than nanoparticle attachment, enabling nanoparticles to find high coordination binding sites unimpeded by incoming particles. These results reconcile rapid self-assembly of supraparticles with the conventional self-assembly paradigm in which nanocrystal position annealing by surface diffusion occurs on a significantly shorter time scale than nanocrystal attachment.
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Fly-through synthesis of nanoparticles on textile and paper substrates
The fast and efficient synthesis of nanoparticles on flexible and lightweight substrates is increasingly critical for various medical and wearable applications. However, conventional high temperature (high-T) processes for nanoparticle synthesis are intrinsically incompatible with temperature-sensitive substrates, including textiles and paper ( i.e. low-T substrates). In this work, we report a non-contact, ‘fly-through’ method to synthesize nanoparticles on low-T substrates by rapid radiative heating under short timescales. As a demonstration, textile substrates loaded with platinum (Pt) salt precursor are rapidly heated and quenched as they move across a 2000 K heating source at a continuous production speed of 0.5 cm s −1 . The rapid radiative heating method induces the thermal decomposition of various precursor salts and nanoparticle formation, while the short duration ensures negligible change to the respective low-T substrate along with greatly improved production efficiency. The reported method can be generally applied to the synthesis of metal nanoparticles ( e.g. gold and ruthenium) on various low-T substrates ( e.g. paper). The non-contact and continuous ‘fly-through’ synthesis offers a robust and efficient way to synthesize supported nanoparticles on flexible and lightweight substrates. It is also promising for ultrafast and roll-to-roll manufacturing to enable viable applications.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1635221
- PAR ID:
- 10093701
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nanoscale
- Volume:
- 11
- Issue:
- 13
- ISSN:
- 2040-3364
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 6174 to 6181
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1039/C8NR10137J
