Self-organization of nanoparticles and nanoscale objects can be traced in multiple processes related to synthesis of new materials, nanoparticle metabolism, mechanics of nanocomposites, energy conversion, and environmental degradation of nanocolloids.   Better understanding of these phenomena is quintessential for from both fundamental and practical perspectives and optimization of these processes.  Over the period of past decade  we worked on nanoparticle self-organization processes  aiming at (1) Identification of  similarities between biological and non-biological nanoscale species; (2) finding unusual optical properties from different combinations of nano- and microscale features; (3) simplification of  manufacturing of electronic, photonic, and sensing devices. Progress in all these directions will be demonstrated using intricate 1D, 2D, and 3D systems from CdTe, CdS, Au, ZnO nanoparticles as examples.  The analysis of the self-assembly processes for nanoparticles also revealed surprising analogies with self-organization behavior of biological macromolecules. Besides examples mentioned above, a case of self-assembly of inorganic analogs of viral capsids will also be discussed. As a demonstration of practical significance of the self-assembly processes, the latest data on the self-organization of 3D plasmonic superstructures from nanorods and nanoparticles resulting in exceptionally strong hot-spots will be presented.

Self-assembly of nanoscale colloids: From theory to applications

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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