Superlattice of CeO2 self-assembled nanoparticles induced by a hydrophobic coating

The design of NPs is critical for their efficient; while shape and size are responsible for the properties of the inorganic core, the choice of ligands is of utmost importance for the colloidal stability and function of the NPs. The selection of ligands employed in NPs synthesis can determine their final size and shape. Thus, the appropriate choice of ligands plays a critical role in the structure, colloidal stability, function of NPs, and their hierarchical organization. Therefore, we intend to investigate how different ligands could influence the growth of CeO2NPs and their subsequently self-assembly. On these bases, we proposed to perform SAXS experiments to investigate how the amphiphilic molecules can influence the colloidal stability and the formation of hierarchical structures for CeO2NPs.