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Preparation of Janus Particles and Alternating Current Electrokinetic Measurements with a Rapidly Fabricated Indium Tin Oxide Electrode Array

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Microstructure and dynamics of Janus particles in a phase separating medium.

Enrico F Semeraro¹, Rajeev Dattani¹, Theyencheri Narayanan¹

¹ESRF-The European Synchrotron, 38043 Grenoble, France.

The Journal of Chemical Physics

|January 8, 2018

Summary

Janus colloidal particles aggregate and become attractive during solvent phase separation, exhibiting surfactant-like behavior. Their diffusiophoretic motion is suppressed by clustering.

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Area of Science:

Colloid science
Soft matter physics
Materials science

Background:

Janus colloidal particles offer tunable properties due to their distinct surface chemistries.
Understanding colloidal behavior in phase-separating liquids is crucial for designing advanced materials.
Quasi-binary liquid mixtures provide a tunable environment for studying colloidal self-assembly.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the interactions and dynamics of silica-nickel Janus particles in a phase-separating liquid mixture.
To compare the behavior of Janus particles with conventional silica colloids in the same system.
To elucidate the role of solvent phase separation on colloidal aggregation and motion.

Main Methods:

Ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) for probing colloidal microstructure.
Ultra-small-angle X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (USAXS-PCS) for analyzing colloidal dynamics.
System composed of silica-nickel Janus particles in 3-methylpyridine/water/heavy water mixtures.

Main Results:

Janus particles show slow aggregation below the coexistence temperature and strong attraction upon phase separation.
Particles exhibit surfactant-like behavior, with distinct surface affinities for different solvent phases.
Diffusiophoretic motion is observed but suppressed by particle clustering at higher volume fractions.

Conclusions:

Janus particle behavior is significantly different from homogeneous colloids in phase-separating solvents.
Surface asymmetry drives self-assembly and influences colloidal dynamics in complex fluid environments.
Solvent phase separation strongly dictates colloidal interactions and emergent behaviors, offering pathways for controlled assembly.