Engineering and direct imaging of nanocube self-assembly pathways

Tuesday publication post! In this newest published work in #NatureChemicalEngineering, the authors looked at nanoparticle self-assembly using the #PoseidonAX system! Achieving precise control over these pathways that dictate final structures—especially metastable and nonequilibrium states—is a formidable challenge and requires real time and nanoscale research.

Using Poseidon AX, the authors captured real-time imaging of gold nanocubes self-assembling into distinct superlattices, providing unprecedented visibility into the process. The experiment combined with theoretical analysis and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that electrostatic screening plays a critical role in directing assembly pathways by influencing interactions between nanocubes.
As the Poseidon AX system can deliver rapid solvent exchange, they demonstrated dynamic tuning of assembly behavior in real time

As seen in the video, the self-assembly could be followed step-by-step and then modeled. Additionally, FFT in liquid was done to observe the changes in different phases.

Research such as this can open up new understanding in self-assembly pathways and therefore bottom-up approaches.

Want to read the entire paper?
Find it here!
https://www.doi.org/10.1038/s44286-024-00102-9

#Protochips #FindYourBreakthrough #InSituMicroscopy #InSituLP