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Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Methods for the Self-integration of Megamolecular Biopolymers on the Drying Air-LC Interface
Published on: April 7, 2017
Control of Orientation, Formation of Ordered Structures, and Self-Sorting of Surface-Functionalized Microcubes at the
Qimeng Song1, Holger Schönherr1
1Physical Chemistry I and Research Center of Micro and Nanochemistry and Engineering ( Cμ), Department of Chemistry and Biology , University of Siegen , Adolf-Reichwein-Str. 2 , 57076 , Siegen , Germany.
Abstract:
The dependence of the orientation of microscale PS cubes, which are surface functionalized on only five faces, at the water/air interface and the ordered aggregates formed by capillary force assembly are reported. Depending on the wettability of the faces, the cubes were shown to adopt a preferred orientation that changes with decreasing wettability from face up to edge up and further to vertex up. Concomitantly, stable aggregates with different structures were formed by capillary force self-assembly. The unmodified bottom face of the cubes was localized by fluorescence labeling. Finally, self-sorting of differently surface functionalized microcubes was realized for the first time, due to the stronger capillary interactions of quadrupole-quadrupole and hexapole-hexapole interactions compared to quadrupole-hexapole interaction.
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