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Polyrotaxane‐Mediated Self‐Assembly of Gold Nanospheres into Fully Reversible Supercrystals
Author(s) -
Coelho Joao Paulo,
GonzálezRubio Guillermo,
Delices Annette,
Barcina José Osío,
Salgado Cástor,
Ávila David,
PeñaRodríguez Ovidio,
Tardajos Gloria,
GuerreroMartínez Andrés
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201406323
Subject(s) - crystallization , self assembly , materials science , colloidal gold , nanoparticle , pulmonary surfactant , nanotechnology , amorphous solid , chemical engineering , hexagonal crystal system , nanocomposite , chemistry , organic chemistry , crystallography , engineering
The use of a thiol‐functionalized nonionic surfactant to stabilize spherical gold nanoparticles in water induces the spontaneous formation of polyrotaxanes at the nanoparticle surface in the presence of the macrocycle α‐cyclodextrin. Whereas using an excess of surfactant an amorphous gold nanocomposite is obtained, under controlled drying conditions the self‐assembly between the surface supramolecules provides large and homogenous supercrystals with hexagonal close packing of nanoparticles. Once formed, the self‐assembled supercrystals can be fully redispersed in water. The reversibility of the crystallization process may offer an excellent reusable material to prepare gold nanoparticle inks and optical sensors with the potential to be recovered after use.