LATERALLY ALIGNED COLLOIDAL NANORODS ASSEMBLIES

摘要

Nanorods assemblies that have lengths in excess of 50 microns to meters are formed from contacting rice-shaped colloidal superparticles that are aligned along the long axis of the colloidal superparticles. The rice-shaped colloidal superparticles are formed from a multiplicity of nanorods with a high degree of association that is end to end to form colloidal superparticles that are in excess of three microns in length and have a length to diameter ratio of about three or more. Methods of preparing the rice-shaped colloidal superparticles employ mixing with an additional ligand to the nanorods to bias the self assembly of the nanorods by solvophobic interactions. Methods of preparing the nanorods assemblies include the infusion of the rice-shaped colloidal superparticles into microchannels patterned on a substrate, wherein the rice-shaped colloidal superparticles' long axes align in the microchannels.