Assembly of Nanoscale Objects at the Liquid/Liquid Interface

The liquid-liquid interface provides a molecularly sharp, defect-free focal plane for the assembly of solid materials. In this article we discuss the various materials which have been successfully assembled at the liquid/liquid interface such as metallic nanoparticles, Janus particles, and carbon nanomaterials. Strategies to induce particle assembly include manipulation of surface chemistry, surface charge, and potential control. Liquid/liquid assembly can be exploited to synthesize materials in situ and template preformed structures. We go on to discuss the difficulties encountered when attempting to fully understand the structure of assemblies present at the liquid/liquid interface and the development of experimental techniques to elucidate information about the structure, stability, chemical composition, and reactivity of interfacial assemblies.