Soft Polymer Janus Nanoparticles at Liquid–Liquid Interfaces
Abstract
Soft polymeric Janus nanoparticles (JNPs), made from polystyrene‐b‐poly(butadiene)‐b‐poly(methylmethacrylate), PS‐PB‐PMMA, triblock terpolymers, assemble into a monolayer at the water–oil interface to reduce interfacial tension. The extent to which the polymer chains can deform influences the packing density of the JNPs at the interface. The longer the polymer chains are relative to the core, the softer are the JNPs, resulting in a JNPs assembly with a lower initial lateral packing density. The interfacial activity of JNPs can be further tuned by complexation of the PMMA chains with lithium ions that are introduced into the water phase. This work provides a fundamental understanding of soft JNPs packing at the water–oil interface and provides a strategy to tailor the areal density of soft JNPs at liquid–liquid interface, enabling the design of smart responsive structured‐liquid systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- May 27, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1002/ange.202004162
Entities
People
- André H. Gröschel
- Peiyang Gu
- Ramzi Chakroun
- Thomas Paul Russell
- Yufeng Jiang
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Office of Basic Energy Sciences
- Tohoku University
- University of Applied Science and Technology
- University of Massachusetts
- University of Münster