This technique produces superparticles used to fabricate various nanoparticle-based structures in fields such as biomedicine, LED lighting and dyes. Current nanoparticle assemblies are susceptible to a variety of problems including being excessively large and lacking the ability to change to fit various applications. This invention provides a way to produce functional materials for a variety of practical applications at a significantly reduced cost.
Production of solar cells, crystal-based light emitting diodes, and dye-based colored sensitizers
This technology uses colloidal superparticles and a technique of synthesizing the same from nanoparticles, such as nonpolar-solvent-dispersible nanoparticles. This enables single supercystalline spherical colloidal superparticles to be created out of artificial atoms. This unique superparticle formation is crystallized by the solvophobic interaction between nanoparticle building blocks and the growth solution, and then fine tuning the interaction to make a size-controlled synthesis of superparticles. The single supercrystalline structure of these superparticles was formed in an additional crystallization stage during the synthesis. The generality of this approach was demonstrated by synthesizing superparticles from Fe3O4, CdSe and Au nanoparticles at different sizes. The properties of these superparticles can be tailored by doping with organic dyes and assembled into more complex structures for further development.
