IRG 3: Nanocrystal Superlattices Grown in Nanoliter Microfluidic Plugs

1. Ka Yee C. Lee, University of Chicago, DMR 0820054 IRG 3: Nanocrystal Superlattices Grown in Nanoliter Microfluidic Plugs Researchers at the University of Chicago Materials Research Science and Engineering Center developed a microfluidic platform to study self-assembly of colloidal nanocrystals into long-range ordered superlattices. The team of scientists showed that confinement of nanocrystals in the nanoliter droplets (plugs) can be used for the optimization of growth conditions for nanocrystal superlattices and provides new insights into thermodynamics and kinetics of nanocrystal self-assembly. They successfully prepared large superlattices from metallic, semiconducting and magnetic nanocrystals, as well as first three-dimensional binary nanoparticle superlattices. Microfluidic devices used for nanocrystal self-assembly (top); optical images of nanocrystal superlattices fromed in microfluidic plugs (middle) and electron microscopy images of single- component (bottom left) and binary (bottom right) nanoparticle superlattices grown in the microfluidic plugs. “Three-Dimensional Nanocrystal Superlattices Grown in Nanoliter Microfluidic Plugs.” M. I. Bodnarchuk, L. Li, A. Fok, S. Nachtergaele, R. F. Ismagilov, D. V. Talapin. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, submitted for publication. Work made possible through NSF MRSEC DMR-0820054