Two-step self-assembly of nanodisks into plate-built cylinders through oriented aggregation

Oriented aggregation-based self-assembly of hexagonal LaF3 nanodisks with cavities into plate-built cylinders proceeding in acidic solution in the absence of any organic additive was disclosed. The self-assembly consists of two steps. First, the nanodisks sequentially aggregated together by coalescence mainly through {100} planes to form larger monocrystalline plates, followed by Ostwald ripening to smooth their surfaces. The holes on the primary nanodisks should be responsible for this intriguing growth. Second, the surface-smoothed plates were stacked face-to-face with each other along the [001] direction to construct the cylinders. The acidic condition was found to be a prerequisite for the oriented aggregations in this system.