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Self‐Assembly of Cerium Oxide Nanostructures in Ice Molds
Author(s) -
Karakoti Ajay S.,
Kuchibhatla Satyanarayana V. N. T.,
Baer Donald R.,
Thevuthasan Suntharampillai,
Sayle Dean C.,
Seal Sudipta
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.200800219
Subject(s) - nanorod , nanostructure , materials science , nanotechnology , self assembly , nanoparticle , nanocrystal , aqueous solution , nanometre , molecular dynamics , ice crystals , cerium oxide , oxide , chemical engineering , particle (ecology) , chemical physics , chemistry , composite material , metallurgy , computational chemistry , physics , oceanography , engineering , geology , optics
The formation of nanorods, driven by the physicochemical phenomena during the freezing and after the aging of frozen ceria nanoparticle suspensions, is reported. During freezing of a dilute aqueous solution of CeO 2 nanocrystals, some nuclei remain in solution while others are trapped inside micro‐ and nanometer voids formed within the growing ice front. Over time (2–3 weeks) the particles trapped within the nanometer‐wide voids in the ice combine by an oriented attachment process to form ceria nanorods. The experimental observations are consistent with molecular dynamics simulations of particle aggregation in constrained environments. These observations suggest a possible strategy for the templated formation of nanostructures through self‐assembly by exploiting natural phenomena, such as voids formed during freezing of water. This research suggests a very simple, green chemical route to guide the formation of one‐ and three‐dimensional self‐assembled nanostructures.