2 research outputs found
Growth modes of nanoparticle superlattice thin films
We report about the fabrication and characterization of iron oxide
nanoparticle thin film superlattices. The formation into different film
morphologies is controlled by tuning the particle plus solvent-to-substrate
interaction. It turns out that the wetting vs. dewetting properties of the
solvent before the self-assembly process during solvent evaporation plays a
major role to determine the resulting film morphology. In addition to layerwise
growth also three-dimensional mesocrystalline growth is evidenced. The
understanding of the mechanisms ruling nanoparticle self-assembly represents an
important step toward the fabrication of novel materials with tailored optical,
magnetic or electrical transport properties