Layer-by-Layer Manipulation of Heterogeneous Rectangular Nanoblocks: Brick Work for Multilayered Structures with Specific Heterojunction

The combination of heterogeneous inorganic nanocrystals provides novel nanometer-scale architectures for exploration of novel functions. In the present study, heterogeneous bilayers, such as BaTiO₃-Fe₃O₄ and Mn₃O₄-CeO₂, are fabricated via layer-by-layer stacking of several rectangular nanoblocks 5-23 nm in size by evaporation-driven self-assembly. Specific heterojunctions between inorganic crystals are constructed by nanoscale simple brick work through spontaneous adjustment of the crystallographic orientations of the nanoblocks in the lower and upper layers.