Particle Size-Driven Transition from Multilayer Aggregates to Ordered Monolayers at Gas Marble Interfaces.

Area of Science:

• Soft matter physics
• Colloid science
• Materials science

Background:

• Gas marbles (GMs) are particle-stabilized dispersed systems with a unique air-in-water-in-air structure.
• Understanding the role of stabilizing particle size is crucial for controlling GM properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how stabilizing particle size influences the structure and mechanical properties of gas marbles.
• To establish structure-property-performance relationships in particle-stabilized GMs.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of polystyrene particles with controlled sizes (2–1050 μm) via dispersion and seeded dispersion polymerization.
• Surface modification of particles with a steric stabilizer for interfacial adsorption.
• Formation and characterization of gas marbles using particles of varying sizes.

Main Results:

• Particles ≥80 μm form ordered monolayers on GMs; smaller particles form disordered multilayers.
• Hexagonal ordering increases with particle size, indicating enhanced packing regularity.
• GM mechanical integrity against impact correlates with particle size, influenced by liquid-substrate gap and potential energy.

Conclusions:

• Particle size is a critical parameter controlling the interfacial structure and mechanical stability of gas marbles.
• The balance between particle-particle interactions and gravity dictates surface assembly.
• Tailoring particle size offers a route to engineer the performance of GMs.