How to Predict the Growth Mechanism of Supracrystals from Gold Nanocrystals

Here we report the influence of the nanocrystal size and the solvent on the growth of supracrystal made of gold nanocrystals. These parameters may determine the final morphology of nanocrystals assemblies with either a layer-by-layer growth or a process of nucleation in solution. Experiments supported by simulations demonstrate that supracrystal nucleation is mainly driven by solvent-mediated interactions and not solely by the van der Waals attraction between nanocrystal cores, as widely assumed in the literature.