Prismatic Confinement Induces Tunable Orientation in Plasmonic Supercrystals

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Crystallography

Background:

• Nature-inspired self-assembly of complex structures is a long-standing scientific goal.
• Synthetic supercrystal formation is challenging due to nanoparticle (NP) symmetry.
• Previous studies explored NP self-assembly within spherical or cylindrical confinement.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the self-assembly of supercrystals using anisotropic NPs in prismatic confinement.
• Understand the role of mold interfaces in directing supercrystal domain growth and texture.
• Explore the influence of confinement geometry on supercrystal formation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized anisotropic nanoparticles and prismatic confinement cavities.
• Employed multiscale characterization for local and ensemble-level analysis.
• Conducted computer simulations to study effects of increased confinement.

Main Results:

• Prismatic confinement, guided by mold interfaces, directs the formation of distinct crystal domains.
• Grain boundaries form where different crystal domains meet.
• Flat interfaces in prismatic confinement are crucial for orienting supercrystal growth, unlike cylindrical confinement.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated a method to induce orientation and control textural defects in plasmonic supercrystals.
• Findings offer insights into designing functional metasurfaces and hierarchical devices.
• Highlights the importance of anisotropic shapes and specific confinement geometries for advanced material fabrication.