Template-assisted self-assembly

Y. Yin, Y. Lu, B. Gates, and Y. Xia Template-Assisted Self Assembly A Practical Route to Complex Aggregates of Monodispersed Colloids with Well-Defined Sizes, Shapes and Structures. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 123, 8718 (2001). 

Y. Xia, Y. Yin, Y. Lu, and J. Me Lellan Template-Assisted Self-Assembly of Spherical Colloids into Complex and Controllable Structures. Adv. Funct. Mater. 13, 907 (2003). 

Template-Assisted Self-Assembly of Colloidal Particles by Wrinkled Surfaces 87... 

Xia, Y., Yin, Y., Lu, Y. McLellan, J. Template-assisted self-assembly of spherical colloids into complex and controllable structures. Adv. Funct. Mat. 13, 907—918 (2003). 

Yin JS, Wang ZL (1999) Template-assisted self-assembly and cobalt doping of ordered mesoporous titania nanostructures. Adv Mater 11 469... 

J. H. Kim, Y.H. Kim, H.S. Jeong, E.K. Youn, H.-T. Jung, Highly ordered defect arrays of 8CB (4[prime or minute]-n-octyl-4-cyano-biphenyl) liquid crystal via template-assisted self-assembly. J. Mater. Chem. 21, 18381-18385 (2011)... 

It is worth noting that the boundaries between numerous bottom-up approaches are sometimes ambiguous, so combining multiple approaches to obtain desirable or complex nanostructures is often necessary. For example, the colloidal process is often combined with template-assisted self-assembly to produce hollow nanospheres and other complex structures [42,43]. This versatility of bottom-up approaches opens many opportunities to fabricate a myriad of nanomaterials with extraordinary properties. 

We have discussed in the previous sections about the physical properties and surfactant-assisted self-assembly formations of metal nanoparticles. These assembling methods are quite beautiful and intelligent, because they are induced by the spontaneous driving force for assembling by smart choice of the conditions. In the cases of practical use, however, the methods described below are rather tend to be required (1) the method to make a desirable size, length, shape, architecture and position, etc., (2) a simple and easy method, and (3) highly stable assemblies. From these viewpoints, as a final section for a preparation of nanoparticle assembly, we introduce here the template assisted self-assemblies of nanoparticles. This section is classified to three stories corresponding to the dimension (such as ID, 2D and 3D) of the template and assembly. 

The next example of template-assisted self-assembly of metal nanoparticle is a little different from the previous ones. This is a microwires reported by Velev et al., assembled by dielectrophoresis from suspensions of metallic nanoparticles. In this case, they did not use any special template materials, but apply an electric field as a kind of template [89], The microwires form after introduction of a suspension of gold nanoparticles (diameter 15-30nm) into a thin chamber electrodes (the gap varies from 2 mm to more than 1 cm) in an electric field intensity of 250Vcm . The wires can grow faster than 50p,m per second to lengths exceeding 5 mm (Fig. 6.21a). Then finally, when the wire was completely assembled, there... 

Yin et al. reported on the template-assisted self assembly of particle aggregate structures. Such an initial aggregate or building block can be used to assemble even more complex larger structures. Initially these authors used polymer beads, but the same techniques can also be apphed to inorganic particles or specific or-ganic/inorganic hybrid structures may be formed. 

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