Vortex-pattern self-assembly in Mn-doped ZnSe nanorods.

ABSTRACT

Spontaneous patterning of anisotropic nanostructures into ordered assemblies remains a challenging quest, which requires controlled innovative approaches. One way to achieve such ordering of 1D nanorods is by manipulating the varieties of interactions (attractive and repulsive forces) present in colloidal solutions of anisotropic nanocrystals. The other ingenuous pathway is solvent-evaporation-mediated self-organization of the 1D nanorods. By following the second protocol, we have achieved exclusive pillar self-assembled patterns of visible-light-emitting Mn-doped ZnSe nanorods. The nanorods also exhibit intriguing vortex patterning observed by directional solvent evaporation from the nanorod solution. The effect of solvent evaporation to generate such unique morphologies on the TEM grid is discussed and the reported procedure to obtain the assembled patterns of visible-light-emitting, doped nanorods might be useful for future technological applications.