Wang Liming, McCarthy Thomas J
Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003.
Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Mar 3;112(9):2664-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1424383112. Epub 2015 Feb 17.
We report the preparation of millimeter-scale particles by thermal polymerization of liquid monomer capillary bridges to form catenoid-shaped particles that exhibit negative Gaussian curvature. The shape of the capillary bridges and resulting particles can be finely tuned using several addressable parameters: (i) the shape, size, and orientation of lithographic pinning features on the spanned surfaces; (ii) the distance between opposing support surfaces; and (iii) the lateral displacement (shear) of opposing features. The catenoid-shaped particles exhibit controllable optical properties as a result of their concave menisci, the shape of which can be easily manipulated. The particles self assemble in the presence of a condensing liquid (water) to form reversible neck-to-neck pairs and less reversible end-to-end aggregates. We argue that this approach could be scaled down to micrometer dimensions by fabricating an array of micrometer-scale particles. We also argue, with a discussion of dynamic wetting, that these particles will exhibit interesting anisotropic adhesive properties.
我们报道了通过液体单体毛细管桥的热聚合制备毫米级颗粒，以形成具有负高斯曲率的链状颗粒。可以使用几个可调控参数对毛细管桥和所得颗粒的形状进行精细调整：（i）跨越表面上光刻固定特征的形状、尺寸和方向；（ii）相对支撑表面之间的距离；以及（iii）相对特征的横向位移（剪切）。由于其凹弯月面，链状颗粒表现出可控的光学特性，其形状易于操控。在冷凝液体（水）存在下，颗粒会自组装形成可逆的颈对颈对以及较不可逆的端对端聚集体。我们认为，通过制造微米级颗粒阵列，这种方法可以缩小到微米尺寸。我们还通过对动态润湿性的讨论认为，这些颗粒将表现出有趣的各向异性粘附特性。
