Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20375, USA.
J Colloid Interface Sci. 2012 Feb 15;368(1):152-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2011.11.043. Epub 2011 Nov 29.
We report the synthesis of colloidal nanoparticles with an internal structure forming a gel-like matrix. These nanoparticles are composed of low molecular weight liquid crystal (LC) 4-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) encapsulated in an LC-based polymer network. Using nanoscopic mechanical analysis, we demonstrate the ability to independently tune the shape anisotropy and stiffness by varying, respectively, the 5CB concentration and the extent of the polymer cross-linking. Based on these data, a model is introduced to account for the effect of the polymer network on the mechanical properties, thus providing novel insight into the nanomechanics of these soft particles.
我们报告了具有形成凝胶状基质的内部结构的胶体纳米粒子的合成。这些纳米粒子由低分子量液晶（LC）4-戊基-4-氰基联苯（5CB）封装在基于 LC 的聚合物网络中。通过纳米力学分析，我们证明了通过分别改变 5CB 浓度和聚合物交联程度，能够独立地调节形状各向异性和刚性。基于这些数据，引入了一个模型来解释聚合物网络对力学性能的影响，从而为这些软粒子的纳米力学提供了新的见解。
