title: Interfacial self-assembly driven formation of hierarchically structured nanocrystals with photocatalytic activity.
abstract: We report the synthesis of hierarchical structured nanocrystals through an interfacial self-assembly driven microemulsion (μ-emulsion) process. An optically active macrocyclic building block Sn (IV) meso-tetraphenylporphine dichloride (tin porphyrin) is used to initiate noncovalent self-assembly confined within μ-emulsion droplets. In-situ studies of dynamic light scattering, UV-vis spectroscopy, and electron microscopy, as well as optical imaging of reaction processes suggest an evaporation-induced nucleation and growth self-assembly mechanism. The resulted nanocrystals exhibit uniform shapes and sizes from ten to a hundred nanometers. Because of the spatial ordering of tin porphyrin, the hierarchical nanocrystals exhibit collective optical properties resulting from the coupling of molecular tin porphyrin and photocatalytic activities in the reduction of platinum nanoparticles and networks and in photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) pollutants.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of the Ministry of Education, Henan University , Kaifeng 475004, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Zixuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ruifang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Huimeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Raid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.forename: Hongyou
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fan