Rivas-Barbosa Rodrigo, Camerin Fabrizio, Vialetto Jacopo, Ramakrishna Shivaprakash N, Isa Lucio, Zaccarelli Emanuela
School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, U.K.
Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, Lund SE-22100, Sweden.
Langmuir. 2025 Jul 1;41(25):16674-16684. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c02599. Epub 2025 Jun 19.
The adsorption of soft microgels at interfaces is a key phenomenon in numerous applications, including emulsification, interfacial stabilization, and responsive coatings. In this work, we employ a combination of in situ atomic force microscopy and numerical simulations to systematically investigate the structural behavior of individual microgels at liquid-liquid and solid-liquid interfaces. By directly comparing their morphology and response to temperature variations, we examine the changes in their overall conformation and the evolution of their internal polymer distribution, uncovering key differences between the two environments. Our results provide detailed insights into the microscopic changes occurring during the adsorption of soft, deformable particles at interfaces, highlighting both new pathways for controlling their interfacial properties and the necessity of advanced characterization techniques to fully capture these complex processes.
软微凝胶在界面处的吸附是众多应用中的关键现象，包括乳化、界面稳定和响应性涂层。在这项工作中，我们结合原位原子力显微镜和数值模拟，系统地研究了单个微凝胶在液 - 液和固 - 液界面的结构行为。通过直接比较它们的形态以及对温度变化的响应，我们研究了它们整体构象的变化和内部聚合物分布的演变，揭示了两种环境之间的关键差异。我们的结果提供了对软的、可变形颗粒在界面吸附过程中发生的微观变化的详细见解，突出了控制其界面性质的新途径以及先进表征技术全面捕捉这些复杂过程的必要性。
