The controlled assembly of nanowires is one of the key challenges in the development of a range of functional 3D aerogels with unique physicochemical properties for practical applications. However, the deep understanding of the dynamic assemble process for fabricating nanowire aerogels remains elusive. Herein, a facile strategy is presented for the metallic ion-induced assembly of nanowires into macroscopic aerogels via a solution-based process. This method enables the interconnecting between polymer-decorated nanowires via metallic coordination, resulting in plenty of nanowire bundles with the same orientation. Besides, the coordinated binding strength of nanowires with different metallic ions is also discussed. The assembly mechanism that the metallic ions induced dynamic behavior of nanowires is revealed via molecular dynamics theoretical evaluation. These findings benefit for constructing nanowire-based aerogels with unique structural features and multi-function, which pave new opportunities for other material systems.

中文翻译：

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金属离子诱导自组装使纳米线基气凝胶成为可能

纳米线的受控组装是开发一系列具有独特物理化学特性以用于实际应用的功能性 3D 气凝胶的关键挑战之一。然而，对制造纳米线气凝胶的动态组装过程的深入理解仍然难以捉摸。在此，提出了一种通过基于溶液的过程将金属离子诱导的纳米线组装成宏观气凝胶的简便策略。这种方法可以通过金属配位实现聚合物修饰的纳米线之间的互连，从而产生大量具有相同取向的纳米线束。此外，还讨论了纳米线与不同金属离子的配位结合强度。通过分子动力学理论评估揭示了金属离子诱导纳米线动态行为的组装机制。这些发现有利于构建具有独特结构特征和多功能的基于纳米线的气凝胶，为其他材料系统铺平了新的机会。