Viscoelastic properties of nanocrystalline films of semiconducting chalcogenides at liquid/liquid interface

The interfacial shear rheological properties of a continuous single-crystalline film of CuS and a 3D particulate gel of CdS nanoparticles (3-5 nm in diameter) formed at toluene-water interfaces have been studied. The ultrathin films (approximately 50 nm in thickness) are formed in situ in the shear cell through a reaction at the toluene-water interface between a metal-organic compound in the organic layer and an appropriate reagent for sulfidation in the aqueous layer. Linear viscoelastic spectra of the nanofilms reveal solid-like rheological behavior with the storage modulus higher than the loss modulus over the range of angular frequencies probed. Large strain amplitude sweep measurements on the CdS nanofilms formed at different reactant concentrations suggest that they form a weakly flocculated gel. Under steady shear, the films exhibit a yield stress, followed by a steady shear thinning at high shear rates. The viscoelastic and flow behavior of these films that are in common with those of many 3D "soft" materials like gels, foams, and concentrated colloidal suspensions can be described by the "soft" glassy rheology model.