Tunable Assembly of Heterogeneously Charged Colloids
- Author(s)
- Emanuela Bianchi, Christos N. Likos, Gerhard Kahl
- Abstract
The self-assembly of colloidal particles is a route to designed materials production that combines high flexibility, cost effectiveness, and the opportunity to create ordered structures at length scales ranging from nano- to micrometers. For many practical applications in electronics, photovoltaics, and biomimetic material synthesis, ordered mono- and bilayers are often needed. Here we present a novel and simple way to tune via external parameters the ordering of heterogeneously charged colloids into quasi two-dimensional structures. Depending on the charges of the underlying substrate and of the particles, a rich and versatile assembly scenario takes place, resulting from the complex interplay between directional attractive and repulsive particle–particle and particle–substrate interactions. Upon subtle variations of the relative charge of the system components, emerging via pH modification, reversible changes either from extended aggregates to a monomeric phase or from triangular to square domains are observed.
- Organisation(s)
- Computational and Soft Matter Physics
- External organisation(s)
- Technische Universität Wien
- Journal
- Nano Letters: a journal dedicated to nanoscience and nanotechnology
- Volume
- 14
- Pages
- 3412-3418
- No. of pages
- 7
- ISSN
- 1530-6984
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/nl500934v
- Publication date
- 06-2014
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103036 Theoretical physics, 103018 Materials physics
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Condensed Matter Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, General Chemistry, General Materials Science
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/34d56782-7d98-4440-8ad1-6aed41346ec1