用于合成和组装具有精确粗糙斑块的球形胶体的选择性蒸汽冷凝法。

Selective Vapor Condensation for the Synthesis and Assembly of Spherical Colloids with a Precise Rough Patch.

作者信息

Guillot Kennedy A, Brahana Philip J, Al Harraq Ahmed, Ogbonna Nduka D, Lombardo Nicholas S, Lawrence Jimmy, An Yaxin, Benton Michael G, Bharti Bhuvnesh

机构信息

Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States.

出版信息

JACS Au. 2024 Mar 4;4(3):1107-1117. doi: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00812. eCollection 2024 Mar 25.

Abstract

Patchy particles occupy an increasingly important space in soft matter research due to their ability to assemble into intricate phases and states. Being able to fine-tune the interactions among these particles is essential to understanding the principles governing the self-assembly processes. However, current fabrication techniques often yield patches that deviate chemically and physically from the native particles, impeding the identification of the driving forces behind self-assembly. To overcome this challenge, we propose a new approach to synthesizing spherical colloids with a well-defined rough patch on their surface. By treating polystyrene microspheres with vapors of a good solvent, here an acetone-water mixture, we achieve selective polymer corrugation on the particle surface resulting in a chemically similar yet rough surface patch. The key step is the selective condensation of the acetone-water vapors on the apex of the polystyrene microparticles immobilized on a substrate, which leads to rough patch formation. We leverage the ability to tune the vapor-liquid equilibrium of the volatile acetone-water mixture to precisely control the polymer corrugation on the particle surface. We demonstrate the dependence of patch formation on particle and substrate wettability, with the condensation occurring on the particle apex only when it is more wettable than the substrate, which is consistent with Volmer's classical nucleation theory. By combining experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, we identify the role of the rough patch in the depletion interaction-driven self-assembly of the microspheres, which is crucial for designing programmable supracolloidal structures.

摘要

由于其能够组装成复杂的相和状态,斑状粒子在软物质研究中占据着越来越重要的地位。能够微调这些粒子之间的相互作用对于理解自组装过程的控制原理至关重要。然而,目前的制造技术往往会产生在化学和物理性质上与天然粒子不同的斑块,这阻碍了对自组装背后驱动力的识别。为了克服这一挑战,我们提出了一种新的方法来合成表面具有明确粗糙斑块的球形胶体。通过用良溶剂的蒸汽,这里是丙酮 - 水混合物,处理聚苯乙烯微球,我们在粒子表面实现了选择性聚合物起皱,从而得到化学性质相似但表面粗糙的斑块。关键步骤是丙酮 - 水蒸汽在固定在基底上的聚苯乙烯微粒的顶点处选择性冷凝,这导致了粗糙斑块的形成。我们利用调节挥发性丙酮 - 水混合物气液平衡的能力来精确控制粒子表面的聚合物起皱。我们证明了斑块形成对粒子和基底润湿性的依赖性,只有当粒子比基底更具润湿性时,冷凝才会发生在粒子顶点,这与沃尔默的经典成核理论一致。通过结合实验和分子动力学模拟,我们确定了粗糙斑块在微球耗尽相互作用驱动的自组装中的作用,这对于设计可编程的超胶体结构至关重要。

https://cdn.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/blobs/3c1a/10976603/e83c4d7e30d8/au3c00812_0006.jpg

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