Self-Assembly and Viscosity Behavior of Janus Nanoparticles in Nanotube Flow

Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) have received considerable attention because of their characteristic physical properties that are due to more than two distinct chemical or physical surfaces. We investigated the rheological properties of a JNP solution in the nanotubes using a computer simulation. Prediction and control of the self-assembly of colloidal nanoparticles is of critical importance in materials chemistry and engineering. Herein, we show computer simulation evidence of a new type of velocity profile and a hallmark shear-thinning behavior by confining a JNP solution to a nanotube with hydrophobic and hydrophilic wall surfaces. We derived curves of the shear rate versus the viscosity for two quasi-one-dimensional nanotube systems including diluted and concentrated volume fractions of JNP solutions. For the diluted system, under relatively low shear rates, shear-thinning behavior with a moderate slope or behavior similar to a Newtonian fluid is observed because of the clustering of JNPs. Under relatively high shear rates, the slope of shear thinning changes markedly because the self-assembled structures are rearranged. Moreover, for concentrated systems, when the nanotube wall is hydrophobic, new characteristic velocity profiles that have not been reported before are observed. Our simulation offers a guide to control the rheological properties of JNP solutions by the chemical patterns on the surfaces of nanochannels, the effect of confinement, and the self-assembled structure.