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Although challenging, assembling and orienting non-spherical nanomaterials into two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) ordered arrays can facilitate versatile collective properties by virtue of their shape-dependent properties that cannot be realized with their spherical counterparts. Here, we report on the self-assembly of gold nanorods (AuNRs) into 2D films at the vapor/liquid interface facilitated by grafting them with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Using surface sensitive synchrotron grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and specular X-ray reflectivity (XRR), we show that PEG-AuNRs in aqueous suspensions migrate to the vapor/liquid interface in the presence of salt, forming a uniform monolayer with planar-to-surface orientation. Furthermore, the 2D assembled PEG functionalized AuNRs exhibit short range order into rectangular symmetry with side-by-side and tail-to-tail nearest-neighbor packing. The effect of PEG chain length and salt concentration on the 2D assembly are also reported.

Single crystals of the perovskite nickelate NdNiO3 with dimensions of up to 50 μm on edge have been successfully grown using the flux method at a temperature of 400 °C and oxygen pressure of 200 bar. The crystals were investigated by a combination of techniques, including high-resolution synchrotron X-ray single-crystal and powder diffraction and physical property measurements such as magnetic susceptibility and resistivity. Resistivity measurements revealed a metal-insulator transition (MIT) at TMIT~180 K with apparent thermal hysteresis; however, no superlattice peaks or peak splitting below TMIT, which corresponds to a structural transition from Pbnm to P21/n, was observed. The successful growth of NdNiO3 crystals at relatively low temperatures and oxygen pressure provides an alternative approach for preparing single crystals of interesting perovskites such as RNiO3 (R = Sm-Lu) and parent phases of superconducting square planar nickelates.

High occupancy of cation sites is typical for clathrate-I compositions allowing limited tunability of the electrical properties beyond doping and elemental substitution. Herein, we report on the structure and electrical transport of single-crystal Eu 2 Ga 11 Sn 35 , the sole example of a very low (25%) cation concentration clathrate-I material with atypical transport directly attributable to the structure and stoichiometry.