Ultrathin AuAg Nanofilms from Ice-Templated Assembly of AuAg Nanowires

Ice templates have been widely used for controlled assembly of nanoparticles into well-defined 3D superstructures. However, ultrathin 2D nanofilms, which are highly desirable for wearable smart nanodevices, are seldom reported to be prepared via conventional ice-templated assembly method. In this work, ultrathin AuAg nanofilms are successfully prepared by a simple ice-templated assembly method from ultrathin AuAg nanowires (NWs). The ice/liquid interface is proposed as a unique platform facilitating the self-assembly of NWs into monolayer nanofilms. Benefiting from the polymer-like property of ultrathin AuAg NWs, the obtained ultrathin AuAg nanofilms exhibit high flexibility and excellent stability. The AuAg nanofilms prepared on the flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrate retain high transparency and conductivity under harsh environments and upon strong deformations. The nonspecific ice/liquid interfacial assembly can be further extended to prepare other ultrathin nanofilms made of various inorganic ultrathin NWs.