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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Synthesis and Characterization of Supramolecular Colloids
Published on: April 22, 2016
Synthesis of liquid core-shell particles and solid patchy multicomponent particles by shearing liquids into complex
Ian D Tevis1, Lucas B Newcomb, Martin Thuo
1Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Boston , 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 United States.
Abstract:
We report a simple method that uses (i) emulsion shearing with oxidation to make core-shell particles, and (ii) emulsion shearing with surface-tension driven phase segregation to synthesize particles with complex surface compositions and morphologies. Subjecting eutectic gallium-indium, a liquid metal, to shear in an acidic carrier fluid we synthesized smooth liquid core-shell particles 6.4 nm to over 10 μm in diameter. Aggregates of these liquid particles can be reconfigured into larger structures using a focused ion beam. Using Field's metal melts we synthesized homogeneous nanoparticles and solid microparticles with different surface roughness and/or composition through shearing and phase separation. This extension of droplet emulsion technique, SLICE, applies fluidic shear to create micro- and nanoparticles in a tunable, green, and low-cost approach.
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