Equilibrium growth of three-dimensional gold nanoparticle superlattices

Superlattices consisting of gold (Au) nanocrystals whose surfaces are modified with hydrophilic surfactants have been synthesized at an air/suspension interface under equilibrium conditions. At the initial stage of the growth, the assembly consists of an imperfect close-packing monolayer of Au nanocrystals whose average diameter is View the MathML source and the standard deviation of size distribution is 14%. As the growth proceeds three-dimensionally, the quality of the close-packing structure significantly improves. After the sufficient growth, high-quality micrometer-sized superlattices are obtained.