Understanding the Role of Ligands in Crystal Growth, Assembly and Resulting Structures via In Situ Techniques

Materials’ properties are tied to their structures at micro-, nano-, and atomic scales. Understanding the fundamental mechanisms of crystal growth and assembly, and the factors that control them enables us to design materials with tailored properties. In this work, we study the role of ligands in crystal assembly and defect elimination in nanoparticle superlattices by integrating in-situ techniques, such as TEM and AFM, with theoretical simulations. The surface chemistry and solution structures at liquid-solid interfaces determine crystal growth processes via both classical (monomer by monomer) and non-classical (particle attachment) mechanisms. The active species, such as ligands or biomolecules in the solutions and interfaces, can help to establish conditions to control the crystal growth and assembly processes and crystal structures. The results of this work enable us to control crystal growth and the resulting structures and design materials with tailored properties.