Self-Assembly of Rarely Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles in Dilute Solutions and on a Surface: From Non-Spherical Vesicles to Graphene-Like Sheetsстатья
Статья опубликована в высокорейтинговом журнале
Информация о цитировании статьи получена из
Web of Science,
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Статья опубликована в журнале из списка Web of Science и/или Scopus
Дата последнего поиска статьи во внешних источниках: 10 августа 2018 г.
Аннотация:Rarely polymer-grafted nanoparticles are shown to be able to self-assemble into stable nanostructures of different morphologies. The driving force for the assembly is a competition between a short-range attraction of the nanoparticles and long-range repulsion of the grafted chains. Effects of the solvent quality for the nanoparticles, grafting density and the length of the chains are studied. We have shown that non-spherical vesicles resembling a monocrystal can be stable in dilute solution. In them, the wall represents a sheet of hexagonally packed nanoparticles which sharply bends to become closed forming facets and edges. Improving solvent quality leads to a cascade of transitions: vesicles - tubes - perforated sheets - threads. Adsorption of the nanoparticles on a solvophobic surface can result in their 2D selfassembly.
We have predicted ordering of the nanoparticles into a hexagonal network similar to the structure of graphene sheets. Schematic diagrams of states in 2D and 3D are constructed.