Received August 28, 2007

Abstract:

In this paper, we report an approach for using solvophobic interactions to synthesize well-defined colloidal superparticles from nonpolar-solvent-dispersible Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle artificial atoms. These colloidal superparticles possess a "single-supercrystal" structure, of which Fe₃O₄ artificial atoms occupy the lattice points of a face-centered cubic superlattice. In addition, these superparticles exhibit superlattice fringes under a low-resolution TEM, providing an interesting analogue to the lattice fringes of colloidal nanocrystals under a high-resolution TEM. Moreover, these superparticles can be further assembled into close-packed solid structures, demonstrating their role as a new type of building block in nanoscience.

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