Shape effect in nanoparticle self-assembly

Particle anisotropy determines the way nanoparticles self-assemble, as shown in the picture. Gold and silver spheroids, rods, and plates with length-to-width ratios ranging from 1 to 25 show different liquid-crystalline order structures. These structures are analogous to the entropy-driven ordering that occurs at high volume fractions and is useful for large-scale ordering or shape separation.