Nanocrystal-micelle: synthesis, self-assembly and application.

Nanocrystals (NCs) are one of the important building blocks for fabrication of nanostructured arrays for wide range of optical, electronic, magnetic, catalytic and biosensing applications. Here, our recent advances in the synthesis, self-assembly and application of NC-micelles are highlighted. The NCs are encapsulated inside the core of surfactant micelles in a rapid, interfacially driven micro-emulsion process. The flexible surface chemistry of the NC-micelles causes them to be water-soluble and allows further self-assembly into two- and three-dimensional ordered arrays. The NC-micelles are biocompatible, of interest for bio-labeling. Finally, integration of the ordered arrays and charge transport property are discussed.