Visualizing the interfacial-layer-based epitaxial growth process toward organic core-shell architectures

Ming-Peng Zhuo; Xiao Wei; Yuan-Yuan Li; Ying-Li Shi; Guang-Peng He; Huixue Su; Ke-Qin Zhang; Jin-Ping Guan; Xue-Dong Wang; Yuchen Wu; Liang-Sheng Liao

doi:10.1038/s41467-024-45262-7

Visualizing the interfacial-layer-based epitaxial growth process toward organic core-shell architectures

Nat Commun. 2024 Feb 7;15(1):1130. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45262-7.

Authors

Ming-Peng Zhuo^#^{1

2

3}, Xiao Wei^#², Yuan-Yuan Li^{1

3}, Ying-Li Shi¹, Guang-Peng He¹, Huixue Su², Ke-Qin Zhang³, Jin-Ping Guan³, Xue-Dong Wang⁴, Yuchen Wu⁵, Liang-Sheng Liao^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China.
² Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
³ China National Textile and Apparel Council Key Laboratory for Silk Functional Materials and Technology, National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China.
⁴ Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China. [email protected].
⁵ Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China. [email protected].
⁶ Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China. [email protected].
⁷ Macao Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, 999078, Macau SAR, China. [email protected].

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Organic heterostructures (OHTs) with the desired geometry organization on micro/nanoscale have undergone rapid progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology. However, it is a significant challenge to elucidate the epitaxial-growth process for various OHTs composed of organic units with a lattice mismatching ratio of > 3%, which is unimaginable for inorganic heterostructures. Herein, we have demonstrated a vivid visualization of the morphology evolution of epitaxial-growth based on a doped interfacial-layer, which facilitates the comprehensive understanding of the hierarchical self-assembly of core-shell OHT with precise spatial configuration. Significantly, the barcoded OHT with periodic shells obviously illustrate the shell epitaxial-growth from tips to center parts along the seeded rods for forming the core-shell OHT. Furthermore, the diameter, length, and number of periodic shells were modulated by finely tuning the stoichiometric ratio, crystalline time, and temperature, respectively. This epitaxial-growth process could be generalized to organic systems with facile chemical/structural compatibility for forming the desired OHTs.