Sun Yu-Wei, Chen Zi-Qin, Zhu You-Liang, Li Zhan-Wei, Lu Zhong-Yuan, Sun Zhao-Yan
State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China.
University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
J Phys Chem Lett. 2021 Sep 16;12(36):8872-8881. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c01916. Epub 2021 Sep 9.
Designing complex cluster crystals with a specific function using simple colloidal building blocks remains a challenge in materials science. Herein, we propose a conceptually new design strategy for constructing complex cluster crystals via hierarchical self-assembly of simple soft Janus colloids. A novel and previously unreported colloidal cluster-χ (χ) phase, which resembles the essential structural features of α-manganese but at a larger length scale, is obtained through molecular dynamics simulations. The formation of the χ phase undergoes a remarkable two-step self-assembly process, that is, the self-assembly of clusters with specific size dispersity from Janus colloids, followed by the highly ordered organization of these clusters. More importantly, the dynamic exchange of particles between these clusters plays a critical role in stabilizing the χ phase. Such a conceptual design framework based on intercluster exchange has the potential to effectively construct novel complex cluster crystals by hierarchical self-assembly of colloidal building blocks.
利用简单的胶体构建单元设计具有特定功能的复杂簇晶体仍是材料科学中的一项挑战。在此，我们提出了一种概念上全新的设计策略，通过简单的软 Janus 胶体的分级自组装来构建复杂簇晶体。通过分子动力学模拟获得了一种新颖的、以前未报道过的胶体簇 -χ（χ）相，它类似于 α - 锰的基本结构特征，但长度尺度更大。χ 相的形成经历了一个显著的两步自组装过程，即从 Janus 胶体中自组装出具有特定尺寸分散性的簇，随后这些簇进行高度有序的组织排列。更重要的是，这些簇之间粒子的动态交换在稳定 χ 相中起着关键作用。这种基于簇间交换的概念设计框架有潜力通过胶体构建单元的分级自组装有效地构建新型复杂簇晶体。
