title: Coassembly of gold nanoparticles and cellulose nanocrystals in composite films.
abstract: Coassembly of nanoparticles with different size-, shape-, and composition-dependent properties is a promising approach to the design and fabrication of functional materials and devices. This paper reports the results of a detailed investigation of the formation and properties of free-stranding composite films formed by the coassembly of cellulose nanocrystals and shape-isotropic plasmonic gold nanoparticles. The effect of gold nanoparticle size, surface charge, and concentration on the structural and optical properties of the composite films has been studied. The composite films retained photonic crystal and chiroptical activity properties. The size and surface charge of gold nanoparticles had a minor effect on the structure and properties of the composite films, while the concentration of gold nanoparticles in the composite material played a more significant role and can be used to fine-tune the optical properties of materials derived from cellulose nanocrystals. These findings significantly broaden the range of nanoparticles that can be used for producing nanocomposite materials based on cellulose nanocrystals. The simplicity of film preparation, the abundance of cellulose nanocrystals, and the robust, free-standing nature of the composite films offer highly advantageous features and pave the way for the generation of functional materials with coupled optical properties.
authors: †Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3H6, Canada.
authors: Ariella
authors: A
authors: Lukach
authors: †Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3H6, Canada.
authors: Héloïse
authors: H
authors: Thérien-Aubin
authors: †Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3H6, Canada.
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Querejeta-Fernández
authors: †Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3H6, Canada.
authors: Natalie
authors: N
authors: Pitch
authors: ‡FPInnovations, 570 Saint Jean Boulevard, Pointe-Claire, Québec H9R 3J9, Canada.
authors: Grégory
authors: G
authors: Chauve
authors: ‡FPInnovations, 570 Saint Jean Boulevard, Pointe-Claire, Québec H9R 3J9, Canada.
authors: Myriam
authors: M
authors: Méthot
authors: ‡FPInnovations, 570 Saint Jean Boulevard, Pointe-Claire, Québec H9R 3J9, Canada.
authors: Jean
authors: J
authors: Bouchard
authors: †Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S3H6, Canada.
authors: Eugenia
authors: E
authors: Kumacheva