ABSTRACT
Monolayers ..........................................................................................88 3.3 Nanostructures Formed at the Air/Hydrosol Interface ...................................90
3.3.1 Nanostructures Formed by Self-Assembly of Colloidal Particles at the Interface .................................................................................... 91 3.3.1.1 Adsorption of “Naked” Particles at the Air/Hydrosol
Interface ............................................................................... 91
It is well known that nanoparticles have unique electronic, optical, magnetic, and catalytic properties that are different from those of bulk phase. These properties are dependent on the size and shape of the nanoparticles. Furthermore, the ordered arrays, including one-, two-and three-dimensional (1-D, 2-D, and 3-D) ones, show not only collective properties of the nanoparticles, but also new properties arising from the electronic coupling of the adjacent nanoparticles. These unique properties enable the nanoparticles and the ordered arrays to have important potential applications in various •elds, such as electronics, optoelectronics, and catalysis. Therefore, synthesis of functional nanoparticles and assembly of ordered arrays have aroused much recent attention in the world. Researchers have developed various techniques to synthesize nanoparticles and to assemble them into ordered arrays. Among these methods, synthesis and assembly at the air/water interface have attracted much interest for the last 20 years or so.
