학술논문
Colloidal Clusters and Networks Formed by Oppositely Charged Nanoparticles with Varying Stiffnesses.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Morozova SM; Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George street, Toronto M5S 3H6, Ontario, Canada.; López-Flores L; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.; Gevorkian A; Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George street, Toronto M5S 3H6, Ontario, Canada.; Zhang H; Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States.; National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States.; Adibnia V; Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George street, Toronto M5S 3H6, Ontario, Canada.; Shi W; Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George street, Toronto M5S 3H6, Ontario, Canada.; Nykypanchuk D; Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States.; Statsenko TG; Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George street, Toronto M5S 3H6, Ontario, Canada.; Walker GC; Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George street, Toronto M5S 3H6, Ontario, Canada.; Gang O; Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States.; Departments of Chemical Engineering and Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States.; de la Cruz MO; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.; Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.; Kumacheva E; Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 Saint George street, Toronto M5S 3H6, Ontario, Canada.; Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3H6, Ontario, Canada.; Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3H6, Ontario, Canada.
Source
Publisher: American Chemical Society Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101313589 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1936-086X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19360851 NLM ISO Abbreviation: ACS Nano Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE; MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
Colloidal clusters and gels are ubiquitous in science and technology. Particle softness has a strong effect on interparticle interactions; however, our understanding of the role of this factor in the formation of colloidal clusters and gels is only beginning to evolve. Here, we report the results of experimental and simulation studies of the impact of particle softness on the assembly of clusters and networks from mixtures of oppositely charged polymer nanoparticles (NPs). Experiments were performed below or above the polymer glass transition temperature, at which the interaction potential and adhesive forces between the NPs were significantly varied. Hard NPs assembled in fractal clusters that subsequently organized in a kinetically arrested colloidal gel, while soft NPs formed dense precipitating aggregates, due to the NP deformation and the decreased interparticle distance. Importantly, interactions of hard and soft NPs led to the formation of discrete precipitating NP aggregates at a relatively low volume fraction of soft NPs. A phenomenological model was developed for interactions of oppositely charged NPs with varying softnesses. The experimental results were in agreement with molecular dynamics simulations based on the model. This work provides insight on interparticle interactions before, during, and after the formation of hard-hard, hard-soft, and soft-soft contacts and has impact for numerous applications of reversible colloidal gels, including their use as inks for additive manufacturing.