Hierarchy of self-organisation and self-assembly processes on the example of film growth at the hydrocarbon-graphene nanofluid interface

This research explores the interplay between graphene nanoparticles and hydrocarbons to understand the formation of ordered nanocrystalline structures at the boundary of n-octane and graphene-containing nanofluids. The study introduces a novel setup and proposes a method for film growth using hydrocarbon molecules and graphene nanoplates. The structure of the crystalline film is analyzed through X-ray structure analysis and molecular mechanical modelling. The findings indicate that the growth mechanism of the film is influenced by the self-organization and self-assembly processes of graphene nanoparticles at the interface between the nanofluid and hydrocarbon. The study highlights that the final structure of the film is determined by the hierarchy of these self-organization and self-assembly processes. Furthermore, the researchers demonstrate that the control of these processes can be achieved by adjusting the initial temperature of the system and the concentration of graphene particles in the nanofluid.