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Fabrication of Spherical and Worm-shaped Micellar Nanocrystals by Combining Electrospray, Self-assembly, and Solvent-based Structure Control
Published on: February 11, 2018
Uniform discotic wax particles via electrospray emulsification
Andres F Mejia1, Peng He, Dawei Luo
1Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3122, USA.
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|April 23, 2009
Summary
We developed a new colloidal discotic system using wax microdisks. These uniform wax disks self-assemble through controlled electrospraying and phase transitions, offering tunable particle sizes for advanced materials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Colloidal Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Colloidal discotic systems are crucial for advanced materials.
- Controlling particle size and self-assembly is key for material properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel colloidal discotic system of wax microdisks.
- To investigate the formation, self-assembly, and size control of these microdisks.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of uniform wax emulsions via electrospraying of alpha-eicosene.
- Controlled phase transition to convert spherical emulsions into discotic particles.
- Polarized light microscopy to observe self-assembly during solvent evaporation.
Main Results:
- Achieved narrow size distribution of wax microdisks by tuning electrospraying parameters.
- Demonstrated linear dependence of transition time on droplet size, indicating surface-to-center rotator phase growth.
- Observed sequential self-assembly phases (isotropic, condensed, columnar stacking) driven by depletion attraction.
Conclusions:
- Successfully created a novel wax microdisk colloidal system with tunable sizes.
- Elucidated the mechanism of shape transition and self-assembly.
- The findings pave the way for designing advanced functional materials based on discotic liquid crystals.
