{"id":1888,"date":"2010-07-13T14:47:08","date_gmt":"2010-07-13T18:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpmu2.mit.local\/?p=1888"},"modified":"2010-07-13T14:47:08","modified_gmt":"2010-07-13T18:47:08","slug":"templated-self-assembly-of-sub-10-nm-quantum-dots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpmu2.mit.local\/templated-self-assembly-of-sub-10-nm-quantum-dots\/","title":{"rendered":"Templated Self-assembly of Sub-10-nm Quantum Dots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Patterned templates can guide the self-assembly of nanoparticles into ordered arrays [1<\/a>]<\/sup>. Our motivation in pursuing templated self-assembly is to develop a robust method for the creation of ordered structures at length scales below ten nanometers. The basic process entails creating surface-relief templates via electron-beam lithography and spin-coating a suspension of colloidal nanoparticles onto the template. These templates were created either via metal evaporation and lift-off, or direct fabrication through the negative resist hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ). As the solvent evaporates, the quantum dots self-assemble primarily through the capillary forces created by the dewetting of the template [2<\/a>]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

We demonstrated this technique at sub-10\u2013nm-length scales by spin-coating a solution of organically-capped CdZnS semiconducting quantum dots [3<\/a>]<\/sup> onto nanopatterned grating structures on silicon substrates. We observed the geometric confinement of the quantum dots via physical templating and capillary forces into well-ordered monolayer aggregates with defined lattice orientations. While recent research has demonstrated the ability to self-assemble sub-10 nm metallic nanoparticles via capillary forces into physical templates of similar size [2<\/a>]<\/sup>, this work is unique in demonstrating lattice orientation control via physical templating at sub-10-nm-length scales.<\/p>\n\n\t\t