title: In situ microscopy of the self-assembly of branched nanocrystals in solution.
abstract: Solution-phase self-assembly of nanocrystals into mesoscale structures is a promising strategy for constructing functional materials from nanoscale components. Liquid environments are key to self-assembly since they allow suspended nanocrystals to diffuse and interact freely, but they also complicate experiments. Real-time observations with single-particle resolution could have transformative impact on our understanding of nanocrystal self-assembly. Here we use real-time in situ imaging by liquid-cell electron microscopy to elucidate the nucleation and growth mechanism and properties of linear chains of octapod-shaped nanocrystals in their native solution environment. Statistical mechanics modelling based on these observations and using the measured chain-length distribution clarifies the relative importance of dipolar and entropic forces in the assembly process and gives direct access to the interparticle interaction. Our results suggest that monomer-resolved in situ imaging combined with modelling can provide unprecedented quantitative insight into the microscopic processes and interactions that govern nanocrystal self-assembly in solution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA.
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sutter
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sutter
authors.affiliation: Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA.
authors.forename: Alexei V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Tkachenko
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanochemistry, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), via Morego 30, Genova IT-16163, Italy.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krahne
authors.affiliation: Faculty 8: Mathematics and Physics, Institute for Computational Physics (ICP), University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 3, Stuttgart 70569, Germany.
authors.forename: Joost
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Graaf
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanochemistry, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), via Morego 30, Genova IT-16163, Italy.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arciniegas
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanochemistry, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), via Morego 30, Genova IT-16163, Italy.
authors.forename: Liberato
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Manna