Synthesis of organo-silane functionalized nanocrystal micelles and their self-assembly.

We report a general method to synthesize gold nanocrystal micelles with organo-silane headgroups. The method involves encapsulation of monodisperse, hydrophobic gold nanocrystals within the core of a micelle of an amphiphilic silane precursor. Formation and stability of monodisperse gold NC micelles have been confirmed using UV-visible spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Self-assembly of such nanocrystal micelles through siloxane hydrolysis and cross-linking leads to an ordered array with a face-centered-cubic mesostructure.