Shape-Dependent Oriented Trapping and Scaffolding of Plasmonic Nanoparticles by Topological Defects for Self-Assembly of Colloidal Dimers in Liquid Crystals

Journal Article · Wed Feb 08 00:00:00 EST 2012 · Nano Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/nl204030t· OSTI ID:1039092

Senyuk, Bohdan; Evans, Julian S.; Ackerman, Paul J.; Lee, Taewoo; Manna, Pramit; Vigderman, Leonid; Zubarey, Eugene. R.; van de Lagemaat, Jao; Smalyukh, Ivan I.

We demonstrate scaffolding of plasmonic nanoparticles by topological defects induced by colloidal microspheres to match their surface boundary conditions with a uniform far-field alignment in a liquid crystal host. Displacing energetically costly liquid crystal regions of reduced order, anisotropic nanoparticles with concave or convex shapes not only stably localize in defects but also self-orient with respect to the microsphere surface. Using laser tweezers, we manipulate the ensuing nanoparticle-microsphere colloidal dimers, probing the strength of elastic binding and demonstrating self-assembly of hierarchical colloidal superstructures such as chains and arrays.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1039092
• Report Number(s): NREL/JA-5900-53888; TRN: US201209%%155
• Journal Information: Nano Letters, Vol. 12, Issue 2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
COLLOIDS
DEFECTS
DIMERS
ELASTICITY
LASERS
LIQUID CRYSTALS
MICROSPHERES
TRAPPING
plasmonic nanoparticles
nanoscale self-assembly
liquid crystal elasticity
colloids