Morphological Control Over Gel Structures of Mixed Semiconductor-Metal Nanoparticle Gel Networks with Multivalent Cations

authored by

Marina Rosebrock, Dániel Zámbó, Pascal Rusch, Rebecca T. Graf, Denis Pluta, Hadir Borg, Dirk Dorfs, Nadja C. Bigall

Abstract

In this work, the influence of two different types of cations on the gel formation and structure of mixed gel networks comprised of semiconductor (namely CdSe/CdS nanorods NR) and Au nanoparticles (NP) as well as on the respective monocomponent gels is investigated. Heteroassemblies built from colloidal building blocks are usually prepared by ligand removal or cross-linking, thus, both the surface chemistry and the destabilising agent play an essential role in the gelation process. Due to the diversity of the composition, morphology, and optical properties of the nanoparticles, a versatile route to fabricate functional heteroassemblies is of great demand. In the present work, the optics, morphology, and gelation mechanism of pure semiconductor and noble metal as well as their mixed nanoparticle gel networks are revealed. The influence of the gelation agents (bivalent and trivalent cations) on the structure-property correlation is elucidated by photoluminescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron microscopy measurements. The selection of cations drastically influences the nano- and microstructure of the prepared gel network structures driven by the affinity of the cations to the ligands and the nanoparticle surface. This gelation technique provides a new platform to control the formation of porous assemblies based on semiconductor and metal nanoparticles.

Organisation(s)

PhoenixD: Photonics, Optics, and Engineering - Innovation Across Disciplines
Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry
Laboratory of Nano and Quantum Engineering

External Organisation(s)

Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Type

Article

Journal

SMALL

Volume

19

No. of pages

10

ISSN

1613-6810

Publication date

10.03.2023

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Biotechnology, Chemistry(all), Biomaterials, Materials Science(all)

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202206818 (Access: Open)