Self-assembly patterning of colloidal crystals constructed from opal structure or NaCl structure

We developed a novel self-assembly process to fabricate an orderly array of particle wires constructed from a close-packed colloidal crystal without preparation of patterned templates. A substrate was immersed vertically into a SiO2 colloidal solution, and the liquid surface moved downward upon evaporation of solution. Particles formed a mono-/multiparticle layer, which was cut by the periodic drop-off of solution. The orderly array of particle wires was successfully fabricated, showing the suitability of the self-assembly process for the fabrication of nano-/microstructures constructed from nano-/microparticles or blocks. The mechanism of the assembly process and control of thickness, width, and interval of particle wires were further discussed. Moreover, an array of particle wires constructed not from close-packed face-centered cubic (or hexagonal close packed) structure but from two kinds of particles was realized to fabricate an array of particle wires with NaCl structure by this self-assembly process.     

Self-assembled microstructures of functional molecules

Recent developments of bottom-up fabrication based on self-assembly processes allow us to construct well-designed nano- and microstrctures such as spheres, fibers, tubes, and disks from various functional molecules including biopolymers, conjugated molecules, porphyrins, graphenes, and fullerenes. These assembling techniques do not always require traditional (hydrophilic/hydrophilic) amphiphilic structure. A wide range of functional molecules can be now applied for the fabrication of desired microstructures.     

Facile synthesis of 3D hierarchical foldaway-lantern-like LiMnPO4 by nanoplate self-assembly, and electrochemical performance for Li-ion batteries

Olivine-structured LiMnPO(4) with 3D foldaway-lantern-like hierarchical structures have been prepared via a one-step, template-free, solvothermal approach in ethylene glycol. The foldaway-lantern-like LiMnPO(4) microstructures are composed of numerous nanoplates with thickness of about 20 nm. A series of electron microscopy characterization results indicate that the obtained primary LiMnPO(4) nanoplates are single crystalline in nature, growing along the [010] direction in the (100) plane. Time-dependent morphology evolution suggests that ethylene glycol plays dual roles in oriented growth and self-assembly of such unique structures. After carbon coating, the as-prepared LiMnPO(4) cathode demonstrated a flat potential at 4.1 V versus Li/Li(+) with a specific capacity close to 130 mA h g(-1) at 0.1 C, along with excellent cycling stability.     

pH tunable self-assembly of chicoric acid and their biocompatibility studies

We report for the first time, the pH tunable self-assembly of chicoric acid, an HIV-I integrase inhibitor, which displayed a remarkable tendency to self-assemble at room temperature into varying nano- and microstructures. Furthermore, those assemblies were then functionalised with gold (Au) nanoparticles. We then investigated the biocompatibility of the materials by conducting in vitro cell attachment and cytotoxicity studies using normal rat kidney cells. The studies revealed that the biomaterials were non-toxic and biocompatible, and showed considerable adhesion to the cells. These results suggest that the assemblies could potentially be used for a variety of applications, such as carriers for targeted drug delivery as well as optoelectronics and sensors. Furthermore, the formation of highly organised nano- and microstructures of medicinally significant phytohormones such as chicoric acid is of particular interest as it might help in further understanding the supramolecular assembly mechanism of higher organised biological structures for the development of building blocks for various device fabrications.     

Directional Photo-manipulation of Self-assembly Patterned Microstructures

Highly intricate surface architectures derived from patterned polymer microstructures have received increasing concern in recent years.Directional photo-manipulation (DPM) of azopolymers is one of the effective strategies to tune the patterned polymer microstructures through directional mass migration (DMM) upon polarized light illumination.In this feature article,we emphasize the latest advances of DPM on azopatterns created by self-assembly.The mechanism of DMM,the photo-manipulation performance,and functions of manipulated patterns are introduced in sequence.As presented,DPM can manipulate the as-prepared microstructures feasibly by taking the advantages of non-contacting and nondestructive characters.Moreover,the challenges and opportunities of DPM strategy are discussed in conclusion.     

Self-assembled peptide architecture with a tooth shape: folding into shape

Molecular self-assembly is the spontaneous association of molecules into structured aggregates by which nature builds complex functional systems. While numerous examples have focused on 2D self-assembly to understand the underlying mechanism and mimic this process to create artificial nano- and microstructures, limited progress has been made toward 3D self-assembly on the molecular level. Here we show that a helical β-peptide foldamer, an artificial protein fragment, with well-defined secondary structure self-assembles to form an unprecedented 3D molecular architecture with a molar tooth shape in a controlled manner in aqueous solution. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis, combined with global optimization and Rietveld refinement, allowed us to propose its molecular arrangement. We found that four individual left-handed helical monomers constitute a right-handed superhelix in a unit cell of the assembly, similar to that found in the supercoiled structure of collagen.     

Shape-controlled synthesis of ternary chalcogenide ZnIn2S4 and CuIn(S,Se)2 nano-/microstructures via facile solution route

We demonstrated in this paper the shape-controlled synthesis of ZnIn2S4, CuInS2, and CuInSe2 nano- and microstructures through a facile solution-based route. One-dimensional ZnIn2S4 nanotubes and nanoribbons were synthesized by a solvothermal method with pyridine as the solvent, while ZnIn2S4 solid or hollow microspheres were hydrothermally prepared in the presence of a surfactant such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The mechanisms related to the phase formation and morphology control of ZnIn2S4 are proposed and discussed. The UV-vis absorption spectra show that the as-prepared nano- and micromaterials have strong absorption in a wide range from UV to visible light and that their band gaps are somewhat relevant to the size and morphology. The photoluminescence measurements of the ZnIn2S4 microspheres at room temperature reveal intense excitation at approximately 575 nm and red emission at approximately 784 nm. Furthermore, CuInS2 and CuInSe2 with different morphologies such as spheres, platelets, rods, and fishbone-like shapes were also obtained by similar hydrothermal and solvothermal synthesis.     

Controlled synthesis of high-quality PbS star-shaped dendrites, multipods, truncated nanocubes, and nanocubes and their shape evolution process

Well-defined single-crystalline PbS nano- and microstructures including dendrites, multipods, truncated nanocubes, and nanocubes were synthesized in high yield by a simple solution route. Novel star-shaped PbS dendrites with six symmetric arms along the 100 direction, each of which shows one trunk (long axis) and four branches (short axes), have been achieved using Pb(AC)2 and thioacetamide (TAA) as precursors, under the molar ratio Pb(AC)2/TAA = 2/1, at initial reaction temperature 80 degrees C, refluxing for 30 min at 100 degrees C, in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromine (CTAB). The "nanorods" in each branch are parallel to each other in the same plane and are perpendicular to the trunk. The truncated nanocubes mainly bounded by the {100} plane were prepared under a different Pb(AC)2/TAA molar ratio, at initial reaction temperature 40 degrees C, refluxing for 12 h at 100 degrees C. Based on the systematic studies on their shape evolution, a possible growth mechanism of these PbS nano- and microstructures was proposed. The shapes of PbS nanocrystals with face-centered cubic (fcc) structure are mainly determined by the ratio (R) between the growth rates along the (100) and (111) directions. The Pb(AC)2/TAA molar ratio and the initial reaction temperature influence the growth ratio R in the formation of PbS nuclei at an early stage, which results in the final morphology of PbS nanocrystals. Under the current experimental conditions, we can control the PbS shape evolution by simply tuning the molar ratio, the initial reaction temperature, and the period of reaction. Based on the systematic studies on the shape evolution, this approach is expected to be employed for the control-shaped synthesis of other fcc structural semiconductor nanomaterials. The photoluminescence properties were investigated and the prepared nano- and microstructures displayed a very strong luminescence around 600-650 nm at room temperature.     

Self-assembled biomimetic superhydrophobic CaCO3 coating inspired from fouling mineralization in geothermal water

Inspired from fouling self-mineralization in geothermal water, a novel biomimetic cactuslike CaCO(3) coating with superhydrophobic features is reported in this letter. The structure, morphologies, and phases of the CaCO(3) coating were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and infrared spectrophotometry. After prenucleation treatment, a continuous cactuslike CaCO(3) coating with hierarchical nano- and microstructures was self-assembled on stainless steel surfaces after immersion in simulated geothermal water at 50 °C for 48 h. After being modified with a low-surface-energy monolayer of sodium stearate, the as-prepared coating exhibited superhydrophobic properties with a water contact angle of 158.9° and a sliding angle of 2°. Therefore, this work might open up a new application field of geothermal resources and provide insight into designing multidimensional structures with functional applications, including superhydrophobic surfaces.     

Quinoacridine derivatives with one-dimensional aggregation-induced red emission property

A new series of acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) type quinoacridine derivatives (1-3) with aggregation-induced red emission properties were designed and synthesized. In these compounds, the electron-withdrawing 2-(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)acetonitrile groups act as electron-accepting units, while the alkyl-substituted conjugated core acts as electron-donating units. The restriction of intramolecular rotation was responsible for the AIE behavior of compounds 1-3. All compounds were employed as building blocks to fabricate one-dimensional (1-D) organic luminescent nano- or microwires based on reprecipitation or slow evaporation approaches. Morphological transition from zero-dimensional (0-D) hollow nanospheres to 1-D nanotubes has been observed by recording SEM and TEM images of aggregated sates of compound 2 in THF/H(2)O mixtures at different aging time. It was demonstrated that the synthesized compounds with different lengths of alkyl chains displayed different wire formation properties. The single-crystal X-ray analysis of compound 2 provided reasonable explanation for the formation of 1-D nano- or microstructures.     

Controllable synthesis of Y2O3 microstructures for application in cataluminescence gas sensing

Y(2)O(3) dumbbells, microspheres, and nanosheets were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal procedure followed by calcination. Electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and N(2) adsorption measurements were used to characterize the yttrium oxide microstructures. On the basis of a time-dependent study of nanostructure evolution and the effect of other processing parameters, a kinetic "homogeneous nucleation-self assembly-anisotropic growth" mechanism is proposed to explain the growth of these microstructures under hydrothermal conditions. The sensitivity of as-prepared Y(2)O(3) structures to a series of gaseous chemicals was examined by using a homemade cataluminescence sensing system. The designed cataluminescence sensor based on the yttrium oxide dumbbells shows good sensing performance for 16 common volatile organic compounds.     

Polymer building blocks: self-assembly of silver(I) cyclotriphosphazene cationic columns

The multimodal ligand hexakis(2-pyridyloxy)cyclotriphosphazene (L) and its 4-methyl-2-pyridyloxy analogue (MeL) react with Ag(I) to afford {[AgL]+}infinity supramolecular cationic columns via self-assembly, with the anions occupying the intercolumnar channels. In contrast, the reaction of MeL with Cu(I) yields a dimetallic Cu(II) complex containing mu-OH and mu-4-methyl-2-pyridyloxylato bridges.     

Fluorescent organic nanoparticles self-assembled from hexa[p-(carbonyl glycin methyl ester) phenoxy] cyclotriphosphazene in solution

Novel organic nanoparticles self-assembled from the hexa[p-(carbonyl glycin methyl ester) phenoxy] cyclotriphosphazene (HGPCP) were prepared by a simple solution method. The as-prepared nanoparticles were extensively characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, TGA, and fluorescence spectrum. The size of nanoparticles was increased with increasing the HGPCP concentration in solution. The effect of reaction conditions on the particle size and stability was further investigated. Based upon the experimental results, a growth mechanism was proposed for the formation of the nanoparticles. The obtained nanoparticles were highly thermal stable and exhibited strong fluorescent emission, which could be potential candidates for drug-loading carriers and tracer drug delivery.     

Synthesis and characterization of aromatic poly(ether ketone)s containing cyclotriphosphazene units. II

A new monomer di(4‐carboxyphenoxy) tetrakis(4‐fluorophenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene 1 was synthesized in a two‐step reaction sequence. The direct polycondensation of 1 and/or 4,4′‐dicarboxydiphenylether with aromatic ethers was carried out in P₂O₅/methanesulfonic acid (Eaton's reagent) at 120 °C for 3 h to give two series of aromatic poly(ether ketone)s containing cyclotriphosphazene units. The effect of the introduction of the cyclotriphosphazene group on the solubility and thermal properties of these polymers was discussed with relation to the cyclotriphosphazene contents. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2300–2305, 2000     

Facile electrochemical route to directly fabricate hierarchical spherical cupreous microstructures: Toward superhydrophobic surface

A templateless, surfactantless, electrochemical route is proposed to directly fabricate hierarchical spherical cupreous microstructures (HSCMs) on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate. The as-prepared HSCMs have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The HSCMs prepared by simple potentiostatic technique exhibit hierarchical spherical microstructures with higher roughness. After further chemisorption of a self-assembled monolayer of n-dodecanethiol, the as-prepared compact surface becomes superhydrophobic with a contact angle as high as 152°.     

Self-assembled 3D porous flowerlike α-Fe2O3 hierarchical nanostructures: synthesis, growth mechanism, and their application in photocatalysis

In this work, a facile route using a simple solvothermal reaction to synthesize 3D porous flowerlike hierarchical nanostructures (HNs) of α-Fe(2)O(3) without employing templates or matrices for self-assembly is presented. The morphology and compositional characteristics of the 3D HNs were investigated by various techniques. The 3D HNs composed of 2D nanopetals, were intercrossed with each other and constructed from nanobricks with a length of about 100 nm and a diameter of about 30 nm. Influencing factors such as the reaction time, dosage of reactants and the solvents are systematically investigated. A possible formation mechanism for the 3D HNs is proposed. On the basis of characterization results, the growth of such 3D HNs has been proposed as a self-assembly followed by Ostwald ripening process. The specific surface area of the 3D HNs also was investigated by using nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherms. The as-prepared α-Fe(2)O(3) HNs have a comparatively large Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of about 52.51 m(2) g(-1). The photocatalytic properties of the as-obtained α-Fe(2)O(3) 3D HNs are systematically investigated, which was evaluated by the degradation of RhB dye under ultraviolet light irradiation. The result shows that photocatalytic activity is greatly affected by the hierarchical and porous structure.     

Formation of gold branched plates in diluted solutions of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and their use for the fabrication of near-infrared-absorbing films and coatings

Ribbon-like and branched gold nano- and microstructures were produced by simple heating of diluted aqueous solutions of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and HAuCl4. The reaction was carried out in a one-pot, one-step process at mild temperatures. Modification of the synthesis variables allowed the obtaining of structures with different sizes and branching degrees which formed stable hydrosols with characteristic colors. A mechanism for the growth of the crystals was proposed, based on the aggregation of metal units followed by reorientation and attachment processes facilitated by the presence of low concentrations of the polymer. These anisotropic structures were used to obtain large-area porous coatings on metallic, plastic, and glass substrates and to synthesize homogeneous polymer composites. The resulting gold-modified materials showed an important increase of absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum, which could find interesting applications in the development of NIR-absorbing filters and coatings.     

盐诱导金纳米粒子自组装和沉降制备具有宽波段吸收特性的黑金

通过向金溶胶中加入无机盐诱导金纳米粒子自组装,并自然沉降金纳米粒子组装体得到黑金薄膜.研究结果表明,该黑金薄膜在400~1600 nm的宽带范围内表现出很强的吸收能力（>80%）,在400~800 nm的可见范围内能达到94%,表现出高光热转换能力和宽波段的高表面增强拉曼散射（SERS）活性.     

Surfactant Mediated Microphase Separation in Miscible Block Copolymer of Poly(4-vinyl pyridine-b-hydroxybutylacrylate)

Chinese Journal of Polymer Science - Miscible disordered block copolymers (BCPs) are rarely studied due to the limits in self-assembly into ordered microstructures. Herein, we proposed a facile...     

Synthesis and characterization of benzyl and benzoyl substituted oxime-phosphazenes

Two oxime-cyclophosphazenes were prepared from hexakis(4-formylphenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene (2) and hexakis(4-acetylphenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene (7). The reactions of these oximes with benzyl chloride, benzenesulfanoyl chloride, benzoyl chloride, 4-methoxybenzoyl chloride and 2-chlorobenzoyl chloride were studied. Hexa and pentasubstituted compounds were obtained from the reaction of hexakis(4-[(hydroxyimino)methyl]phenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene (3) with benzyl chloride (4) and benzoyl chloride, respectively. However, the oxime groups on 3 rearranged to nitrile (5) in the reaction of 3 with benzenesulfanoyl chloride and 1-napthalenesulfanoyl chloride. Hexasubstituted compounds were also obtained from the reactions of hexakis(4-[(1)-N-hydroxyethaneimidoyl]phenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene (8) with benzoyl chloride (10), 4-methoxybenzoyl chloride (11) and 2-chlorobenzoyl chloride (12). A trisubstituted compound was obtained from the reaction of 8 with benzyl chloride (9). All the products were generally obtained in high yields. Pure and defined products could not be obtained from the reaction of 3 with 4-methoxybenzoyl chloride and 2-chlorobenzoyl chloride. The structures of the compounds were defined by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H, ¹³C and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy.