title: Self-alignment of silver nanoparticles in highly ordered 2D arrays.
abstract: We have synthesized silver nanoparticles in the non-polar phase of non-aqueous microemulsions. The nanocrystals have been grown by reducing silver ions in the microemulsion cylindrical micelles formed by the reducing agent (ethylene glycol). By a careful deposit of the microemulsion phase on a substrate, the micelles align in a hexagonal geometry, thus forming a 2D array of parallel strings of individual silver nanoparticles on the substrate. The microemulsions are the ternary system of anionic surfactant, non-polar solvent (isooctane), and solvent polar (ethylene glycol); the size of synthesized nanoparticles is about 7 nm and they are monodisperse. The study of the microstructure was realized by transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution technique transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and Fourier processing using the software Digital Micrograph for the determination of the crystalline structure of the HR-TEM images of the nanocrystals; chemical composition was determined using the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Addition technique polarizing light microscopy allowed the observation of the hexagonal phase of the system. This method of synthesis and self-alignment could be useful for the preparation of patterned materials at the nanometer scale.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidad de Sonora, 83000 Hermosillo, Sonora México.
authors.forename: Ericka
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-León
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidad de Sonora, 83000 Hermosillo, Sonora México.
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Íñiguez-Palomares
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Investigación en Física, Universidad de Sonora, 83000 Hermosillo, Sonora México.
authors.forename: Efraín
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Urrutia-Bañuelos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Metalurgia, Universidad de Sonora, 83000 Hermosillo, Sonora México.
authors.forename: Ronaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herrera-Urbina
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Investigación en Polímeros y Materiales, Universidad de Sonora, 83000 Hermosillo, Sonora México.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tánori
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidad de Sonora, 83000 Hermosillo, Sonora México.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maldonado
keywords: Electron microscopy; Non-aqueous microemulsions; Patterned materials; Silver nanoparticles