Published January 1, 2016
| Version v1
Journal article
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Multiscale Self-Assembly of Silicon Quantum Dots into an Anisotropic Three-Dimensional Random Network
Creators
- 1. Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf, Inst Ion Beam Phys & Mat Res, D-01328 Dresden, Germany
- 2. CAMECA Instruments Inc, Madison, WI 53711 USA
- 3. Middle E Tech Univ, Dept Phys, TR-06800 Ankara, Turkey
- 4. Akdeniz Univ, Dept Phys, TR-07058 Antalya, Turkey
- 5. Max Planck Inst Polymer Res, Ackermannweg 10, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
- 6. Univ Trieste, Dipartimento Sci Chim & Farmaceut, Via L Giorgieri 1, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
Description
Multiscale self-assembly is ubiquitous in nature but its deliberate use to synthesize multifunctional three-dimensional materials remains rare, partly due to the notoriously difficult problem of controlling topology from atomic to macroscopic scales to obtain intended material properties. Here, we propose a simple, modular, noncolloidal methodology that is based on exploiting universality in stochastic growth dynamics and driving the growth process under far-from-equilibrium conditions toward a preplanned structure. As proof of principle, we demonstrate a confined-but connected solid structure, comprising an anisotropic random network of silicon quantum-dots that hierarchically self-assembles from the atomic to the microscopic scales. First, quantum-dots form to subsequently interconnect without inflating their diameters to form a random network, and this network then grows in a preferential direction to form undulated and branching nanowire-like structures. This specific topology simultaneously achieves two scale-dependent features, which were previously thought to be mutually exclusive: good electrical conduction on the microscale and a bandgap tunable over a range of energies on the nanoscale.
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