Pathway-Engineered Co-Assembly of Nanorod-Nanosphere Binary Superlattices

Abstract

We demonstrate that nanorod–nanosphere co-assembly can be achieved by selectively suppressing competing assembly pathways via tuning the nanosphere-to-nanorod number ratio. Increasing nanosphere content disrupts nanorod–nanorod aggregation and enables the formation of AB6-p2, AB-pmm superlattices and quasi two-dimensional (Quasi-2D) structures. A pathway selection map reveals a narrow window governed by size and number ratios, establishing pathway regulation as a general strategy for binary nanocrystal assembly.