Self-assembled nanodisks with targetlike multirings aggregated at the air-water interface

In this communication, we report the self-assembly of zirconia by mixing its precursor with another solution containing surfactant as well as gelatin. The resulting zirconia product consists of many disks with a range of diameter from approximately 100 nm to approximately 2 mum. These disks can be assembled inside aqueous systems. Meanwhile the disks rise gradually and eventually form a visible film at the air-water interface. Remarkably, the structure of zirconia disks templated by surfactant has been found to be targetlike multirings with a d spacing of approximately 3.3 nm. We propose that a successful multirings self-assembly depends on two different template-functions from the same surfactant, excellent tenacity of the zirconia layers and the strong ability of the gelatin to stabilize and disperse the disks.