Multiscale hierarchical structures from a nanocluster mesophase
Multiscale hierarchical structures from a nanocluster mesophase
复制标题
纳米团簇中间相的多尺度层次结构
DOI:
10.1038/s41563-022-01223-3
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发表时间:
2022-04-14
期刊:
影响因子:
41.2
通讯作者:
Robinson, Richard D.
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Han, Haixiang;Kallakuri, Shantanu;Robinson, Richard D.
Spontaneous hierarchical self-organization of nanometre-scale subunits into higher-level complex structures is ubiquitous in nature. The creation of synthetic nanomaterials that mimic the self-organization of complex superstructures commonly seen in biomolecules has proved challenging due to the lack of biomolecule-like building blocks that feature versatile, programmable interactions to render structural complexity. In this study, highly aligned structures are obtained from an organic-inorganic mesophase composed of monodisperse Cd37S18 magic-size cluster building blocks. Impressively, structural alignment spans over six orders of magnitude in length scale: nanoscale magic-size clusters arrange into a hexagonal geometry organized inside micrometre-sized filaments; self-assembly of these filaments leads to fibres that then organize into uniform arrays of centimetre-scale bands with well-defined surface periodicity. Enhanced patterning can be achieved by controlling processing conditions, resulting in bullseye and 'zigzag' stacking patterns with periodicity in two directions. Overall, we demonstrate that colloidal nanomaterials can exhibit a high level of self-organization behaviour at macroscopic-length scales.Nanometre-sized clusters can self-organize into centimetre-scale hierarchical structures, mimicking the complex constructions seen in nature and providing a platform to design synthetically directed advanced materials with sophisticated functions.