Correction: Solution self-assembly of plasmonic Janus nanoparticles.

Correction for 'Solution self-assembly of plasmonic Janus nanoparticles' by Nicolò Castro et al., Soft Matter, 2016, 12, 9666-9673, DOI: .

Insights into the Formation Mechanism of CdSe Nanoplatelets Using in Situ X-ray Scattering.

Two-dimensional ultrathin CdSe nanoplatelets have attracted a large interest due to their optical properties but their formation mechanism is not well understood. Several different mechanisms have been proposed: confined growth in a surfactant mesophase acting as a template, anisotropic ripening of small seeds into 2D nanoplatelets, or continuous anisotropic growth of a limited number of nuclei. However, quantitative in situ data that could validate or disprove these formation scenarios are lacking. We use synchrotron-based small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering to probe the formation mechanism of CdSe nanoplatelets synthesized using a heating-up method. We prove the absence of a molecular mesophase in the reactive medium at the onset of nanoplatelet formation ruling out a templating effect. We also show that our data are inconsistent with the anisotropic ripening of small seeds whereas the evolution of the SAXS patterns during the reaction is consistent with the continuous lateral growth of nanoplatelets fed by reactive monomers. Finally, we show that when the final temperature of the synthesis is lowered, nanoplatelets with larger lateral dimensions form. We reveal that they bend in solution during their growth to yield nanoscrolls.

Solution self-assembly of plasmonic Janus nanoparticles.

Janus nanoparticles bearing two different properties on a single particle are amenable to self-assembly into higher-order structures via their directional interaction. We show that gold/silica Janus nanoparticles self-assemble in solution into clusters resembling colloidal micelles upon addition of a hydrophobic thiol which provides them with a surface active amphiphilic character. As the nanoparticles spontaneously assemble, the color of the solution evolves due to the coupling of the surface plasmons. Time resolved spectrophotometry in the visible and near-infrared ranges coupled to simulations were used to probe the assembly process. A singular value decomposition analysis reveals the presence of dimers as transient species. The structure of the clusters was probed using small angle X-ray revealing that the Janus nanoparticles assemble into clusters containing a few particles.