(179c) Engineering Inorganic Nanoparticle and Organic Nanorod Hybrid Materials

Molecular self-assembly is an important bottom-up approach in nanotechnology of engineered materials in nanoscale. Incorporating both organic and inorganic components can combine and sometimes enhance the functions belonging to different material groups. Here we propose a universal strategy to fabricate inorganic/organic thin film with particle/rod structure based on seed-mediated nucleation. The inorganic nanoparticles used are thiolate-protected CdSe, CdS, and Au nanoparticles as well as electrodeposited Au nanoparticles. The organic crystalline materials are n-carboxylic acids, tetrathiafulvalene charge transfer salt, and Krogmann salt. Solution-based spin coating and electrochemical methods are both successful in making the particle/rod structure. We use cyclic voltammetry (CV), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to characterize the thin film structure. Inorganic nanoparticles serve as nucleating seeds to initiate the nucleation of organic crystals and confine their growth morphology. The resulting particle/rod structure is crucial in understanding the underling mechanism such as seed-mediated nucleation and engineering of nanomaterials.