Temperature-controlled liquid crystalline polymorphism of gold nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles grafted with promesogenic ligands show temperature induced liquid crystalline polymorphism with unique phase sequence: from smectic to columnar structure. The transition is entropy driven; with increasing temperature ligands attached to nanoparticle surface require more space to fluctuate. In result smectic layer becomes deformed (‘peristaltic mode’) and voids between metal particles filled with organic molecules form a hexagonal structure.