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Nanoparticle-based membrane assembly and silicification in coacervate microdroplets as a route to complex
James Fothergill1, Mei Li, Sean A Davis
1Centre for Protolife Research, Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol , Bristol BS8 1TS, UK.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|November 13, 2014
Summary
Researchers created complex colloidosomes with nanoparticle shells and polyelectrolyte interiors. These structures can be mineralized, offering a new route to multifunctional microcompartmentalized systems.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Colloid Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Colloidosomes are microcapsules formed by the assembly of colloidal particles.
- Coacervates are liquid-like polymer-rich phases formed by associative phase separation.
- Integrating these systems offers novel microcompartmentalization strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the chemical construction of complex colloidosomes with polyelectrolyte-enriched interiors and nanoparticle shells.
- To explore the formation of multiphase emulsions and mineralized microstructures.
- To demonstrate a route to multifunctional microcompartmentalized systems.
Main Methods:
- Optical and fluorescence microscopy
- High-resolution X-ray microcomputed tomography
- Synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy
Main Results:
- Silica nanoparticles assembled at interfaces to form polydisperse colloidosomes (50–950 μm) with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) or poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) interiors.
- PDDA/adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) coacervates formed nanoparticle-stabilized oil-in-coacervate-in-oil emulsions.
- Mineralization using tetramethoxysilane produced solidified or multichambered microstructures.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates the successful integration of colloidosome and coacervate technologies.
- This approach yields multifunctional microcompartmentalized systems capable of encapsulating crowded chemical environments.
- The resulting mineralized structures offer tunable internal architectures for diverse applications.
