Issue 17, 2023

High-pressure behavior of hydrophobically coated gold nanoparticle supercrystals: role of the structure

Abstract

We report here an extensive high pressure small-angle X-ray scattering study on 3D supercrystals self-assembled from colloidal spherical gold crystalline nanoparticule (NPs). We used a large variety of NPs with different gold core diameter, from 2 to 10 nm, grafted with different ligands: alkane-thiols or oleylamine. The self assembly of these various NPs leads to supercrystals of different structures: face centered cubic (FCC), body centered cubic (BCC), as well as the C14 Frank and Kasper phase. Using a Diamond Anvil Cell to apply pressure on these wide range of samples, we provide a unique overview on the mechanical properties of gold NPs supercrystals. In particular, bulk modulii have been determined from low pressure regime and the different behavior between FCC and BCC structures has been interpreted as due to an easier restructuring of the ligand conformation in the FCC structure compared to the BCC structure. At higher pressure, a fingerprint of irreversible structural transition has been observed. We have ascribed this irreversibility to the sintering of nanoparticles and confirmed this interpretation by transmission electron microscopy.

Graphical abstract: High-pressure behavior of hydrophobically coated gold nanoparticle supercrystals: role of the structure

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Jan 2023
Accepted
04 Apr 2023
First published
05 Apr 2023

Soft Matter, 2023,19, 3113-3120

High-pressure behavior of hydrophobically coated gold nanoparticle supercrystals: role of the structure

V. Balédent, C. Goldmann, H. Ibrahim and B. Pansu, Soft Matter, 2023, 19, 3113 DOI: 10.1039/D3SM00065F

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