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A Technique to Functionalize and Self-assemble Macroscopic Nanoparticle-ligand Monolayer Films onto Template-free Substrates
Published on: May 9, 2014
Structure of an adsorbed polyelectrolyte monolayer on oppositely charged colloidal particles
Andrea Vaccaro1, José Hierrezuelo, Michal Skarba
1Department of Inorganic, Analytical, and Applied Chemistry, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.
Abstract:
An adsorbed layer of a cationic polyelectrolyte, poly(diallyldimethyl-ammonium) chloride (PDADMAC) on negatively charged colloidal latex particles was investigated by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). SANS gives a layer thickness of 8 +/- 1 A and a polymer volume fraction of 0.31 +/- 0.05 within the film. DLS gives a somewhat larger thickness of 18 +/- 2 A, and the discrepancy is likely due to the inhomogeneous nature of the layer and the existence of polymer tails or loops protruding into solution. These results show that a highly charged polyelectrolyte adsorbs on an oppositely charged colloidal particle in a flat configuration due to the attractive forces acting between the polyelectrolyte and the substrate.
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