Abstract
Material properties depend critically on the packing and
order of constituent units throughout length scales.
Beyond classically explored molecular self-assembly,
structure formation in the nanoparticle and colloidal
length scales have recently been actively explored for
new functions. Structure of colloidal assemblies depends
strongly on the assembly process, and higher structural
control can be reliably achieved only if the process is
deterministic. Here we show that self-assembly of
cationic spherical metal nanoparticles and anionic
rod-like viruses yields well-defined binary superlattice
wires. The superlattice structures are explained by a
cooperative assembly pathway that proceeds in a
zipper-like manner after nucleation. Curiously, the
formed superstructure shows right-handed helical twisting
due to the right-handed structure of the virus. This
leads to structure-dependent chiral plasmonic function of
the material. The work highlights the importance of
well-defined colloidal units when pursuing unforeseen and
complex assemblies.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 671 |
Journal | Nature Communications |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |