The Controlled Oriented Attachment of Colloidal Semiconductor Nanorods into Geometrically Diverse Nanostructures and Large Scale Assemblies

The idea of colloidal nanoparticles is analogous to ‘artificial atoms’ wherein individual nanoparticles interact and assemble in a controlled manner to form complex structures or ‘artificial molecules’ is still in its infancy. Consequently, complex structural designs which are common in atomic and molecular systems are rare in the colloidal domain. As performance and functionality requirements for solution-processed nanomaterials become more stringent and demanding, there is an ever-growing need for hierarchical nanostructures with sophisticated architecture and complex composition. However, the fabrication of structurally complex nanostructures is often not feasible by the direct synthesis methods. This thesis essentially summarizes a body of work done on developing methodologies to assemble nanoparticles via facet to facet attachment of nanorods to form geometrically diverse nanocrystal shapes as well large scale assemblies. Detailed structural characterization and mechanistic details were explored involved in the fabrication of the structurally complex nanomaterials.