Physics Commons^™

Conforming Nanoparticle Sheets To Surfaces With Gaussian Curvature, Noah P. Mitchell, Remington L. Carey, Jelani Hannah, Yifan Wang, Sean P. Mcbride, Xiao-Min Lin, Heinrich M. Jaeger

Physics Faculty Research

Nanoparticle monolayer sheets are ultrathin inorganic-organic hybrid materials that combine highly controllable optical and electrical properties with mechanical exibility and remarkable strength. Like other thin sheets, their low bending rigidity allows them to easily roll into or conform to cylindrical geometries. Nanoparticle monolayers not only can bend, but also cope with strain through local particle rearrangement and plastic deformation. This means that, unlike thin sheets such as paper or graphene, nanoparticle sheets can much more easily conform to surfaces with com- plex topography characterized by non-zero Gaussian curvature, like spherical caps or saddles. Here, we investigate the limits of nanoparticle …