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Superlattices

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Nature Reviews Materials volume 8, page 79 (2023)Cite this article

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When colloidal nanocrystals assemble into superlattices with long-range order, the super-sized crystals often have interesting electronic, optical and magnetic properties. However, the weak non-covalent forces holding the nanocrystals together make the superlattices fragile to solvents, heat and other stimuli, limiting their use in applications. Now writing in ACS Nano, Hao Zhang and colleagues introduce a general strategy to stabilize all flavours of 2D and 3D nanocrystal superlattices.

Key to the team’s new strategy is a nonspecific crosslinker that can stitch together whatever ligands are already on the nanocrystals’ surfaces, no custom design needed. Bis(perfluorophenyl) azides (bisPFPAs) are ideal for this role. When added to the nanocrystal solution pre-assembly, these molecules merely stand by; they do not react with the existing ligands or interfere with the self-assembly pathway. Under UV irradiation, however, bisPFPA becomes a potent crosslinker: its two azide groups turn into nitrenes, highly reactive species that wedge themselves between C–H bonds to form covalent C–N linkages. Thus, exposing the assembled superlattices to UV light crosslinks C–H groups between ligands, preserving the superlattice structure. The crosslinking occurs at room temperature within minutes of irradiation.

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  1. Nature Reviews Materials http://www.nature.com/natrevmats/

    Ariane Vartanian

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  1. Ariane Vartanian
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Correspondence to Ariane Vartanian.

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Vartanian, A. Secure attachments. Nat Rev Mater 8, 79 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-023-00538-0

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