Submicron Colloidosomes of Tunable Size and Wall Thickness

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Colloid Science

Background:

• Colloidal capsules offer potential for controlled delivery and storage.
• Fabrication of precisely sized and stable colloidal capsules remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple and tunable method for fabricating colloidal capsules.
• To control capsule size, wall thickness, and properties.

Main Methods:

• Self-assembly of 5 nm gold nanoparticles at oil-in-water emulsion interfaces.
• Tuning nanoparticle wettability via ligand shell or oil phase composition.
• UV light-induced chemical cross-linking for enhanced durability.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated colloidal capsules with sizes from below 100 nm to 1 micron.
• Demonstrated control over capsule size and wall thickness (single or multilayer) by adjusting wettability.
• Achieved high capsule durability, further enhanced by UV cross-linking.
• Capsules exhibited low permeability, suitable for cargo encapsulation and on-demand release.

Conclusions:

• The presented method offers a facile route to tunable, robust colloidal capsules.
• These gold nanoparticle-based capsules are promising for applications requiring controlled molecular storage and release.