Electrostatic Self-Assembly: Understanding the Significance of the Solvent

The electrostatic deposition of particles has become a very effective route to the assembly of many nanoscale materials. However, fundamental limitations to the process are presented by the choice of solvent, which can either suppress or promote self-assembly depending on specific combinations of na...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of chemical theory and computation 2018-02, Vol.14 (2), p.905-915
Main Authors: Lindgren, Eric B, Derbenev, Ivan N, Khachatourian, Armik, Chan, Ho-Kei, Stace, Anthony J, Besley, Elena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Electrostatics
Materials science
Materials selection
Nanotechnology
Self-assembly
Solvents
Switches
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Summary:The electrostatic deposition of particles has become a very effective route to the assembly of many nanoscale materials. However, fundamental limitations to the process are presented by the choice of solvent, which can either suppress or promote self-assembly depending on specific combinations of nanoparticle/surface/solvent properties. A new development in the theory of electrostatic interactions between polarizable objects provides insight into the effect a solvent can have on electrostatic self-assembly. Critical to assembly is the requirement for a minimum charge on a surface of an object, below which a solvent can suppress electrostatic attraction. Examples drawn from the literature are used to illustrate how switches in behavior are mediated by the solvent; these in turn provide a fundamental understanding of electrostatic particle-surface interactions applicable to many areas of materials science and nanotechnology.
ISSN:1549-9618
1549-9626
DOI:10.1021/acs.jctc.7b00647