To modulate the strength of interparticle interactions in the lock mode, we varied the molecular size of the nonpolar solvent. First, we replaced hex with tol as the solvent (Fig- ). Although tol has one more carbon atom than hex, its compact aromatic ring structure results in a higher density and smaller volume, making it easier to penetrate the gaps between NCs and effectively solvate the ligand bundles (Fig. ), thereby weakening the attraction in the lock mode. PMF calculations for dDB-and dNR-capped NCs in tol (Figure and Fig. ) support this hypothesis. Compared to hex, the metastable state of the lock mode in the dNR-capped NCs disappears in tol (Figure ). Interestingly, switching to tol does not reduce the order of the ligand bundle, so the attraction in the touch mode remains (Figure and Fig. ). Conversely, increasing the solvent size should make it more difficult for the solvent to enter the NC gaps (Fig. ), thereby enhancing interparticle attractions. When dmh was used as the solvent, the PMF curves indicated a significant increase in interparticle attraction compared to hex or tol (Figure ). Unlike toluene, as shown in Figure , dmh strengthens the attractions in both the touch and lock modes.