Nanoparticles in Layered Media

纳米颗粒具有重要的技术意义，但很难操纵和控制。在两个方面取得了良好的进展：第一是控制颗粒本身的大小和形状。第二个是最近的一个证明，粒子可以通过连接晶体学上等效的小平面融合在一起。这意味着纳米级积木可以像“乐高”积木一样组合在一起。不幸的是，在排列半导体纳米颗粒（将乐高积木组装在一起）方面的进展更为有限。这是制造纳米级电子器件的关键步骤。我的研究将解决这个问题。我的方法是通过将粒子分散在具有有序相的溶剂中来操纵它们。我将特别利用分层相来将粒子限制在二维区域中。可能的是，纳米颗粒然后将通过它们对主体溶剂的作用而彼此相互作用。这可以导致颗粒的受控聚集。我的方法的一个主要优点是，成功的程序不依赖于纳米颗粒的特定化学性质。因此，应该有可能用一系列不同种类的粒子重复技术。后来的发展将是使用非平衡现象来帮助粒子的空间组织。分层相是物质本身的新状态。因此，我们对它们与分散的纳米颗粒的关系的研究具有超越纳米技术的根本意义。我们预计将创造新的部分有序相和逮捕状态，这将提供一个挑战的软复合材料和膜的夹杂物的理论。

Nanoparticles are of great technological importance but are very difficult to manipulate and control. Good progress has been made in two areas: the first is the control of size and shape of the particles themselves. The second is a recent demonstration that the particles can be fused together by joining crystallographically equivalent facets. This implies that nanoscale building blocks can be combined like 'lego' bricks. Unfortunately progress with arranging semiconductor nanoparticles (bringing the lego bricks together) is more limited. This is an essential step to creating nanoscale electronic devices. My research will address this problem. My approach will be to manipulate the particles by dispersing them in a solvent that has ordered phases. I will specifically make use of layered phases to confine particles in two-dimensional regions. It is possible that the nanoparticles will then interact with each other via their effect on the host solvent. This could lead to the controlled aggregation of particles. A major strength of my approach is that the successful procedures are not dependent on the particular chemistry of the nanoparticle. Hence it should be possible to repeat techniques with a range of different sorts of particle. A later development will be to use non-equilibrium phenomena to assist with spatial organisation of the particles. Layered phases are novel states of matter in their own right. Consequently our research on their relationship with dispersed nanoparticles is of fundamental significance beyond nanotechnology. We anticipate creating new partially ordered phases and arrested states that will provide a challenge to theories of soft composites and membranes with inclusions.