Size-dependent nanoscale soldering of polystyrene colloidal crystals by supercritical fluids
Varghese J, Mohammadi R, Pochylski M, Babacic V, Gapinski J, Vogel N, Butt HJ, Fytas G, Graczykowski B (2023)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2023
Journal
Book Volume: 633
Pages Range: 314-322
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.11.090
Abstract
Hypothesis: Polymer particles self-assembled into colloidal crystals have exciting applications in photonics, phononics, templates for nanolithography, and coatings. Cold soldering utilizing polymer plasticization by supercritical fluids enables a novel, low-cost, low-effort, chemical-free means for uniform mechanical strengthening of fragile polymer colloidal crystals at moderate temperatures. Here, we aim to elucidate the role of particle size and gas-specific response for the most efficient soldering, exploring the full potential of this method. Experiments: We investigate the elastic properties of polystyrene colloidal crystals made of nanoparticles with different diameters (143 to 830 nm) upon treatment with supercritical Ar and He at room temperature. By employing Brillouin light scattering, we quantify the effect of nanoparticle size on the strengthening of interparticle contacts, evaluating the permanent change in the effective elastic modulus upon cold soldering. Findings: The relative change in the effective elastic modulus reveals nonmonotonic dependence on the particle size with the most efficient soldering for mid-sized nanoparticles (about 610 nm diameter). We attribute this behavior to the crucial role of intrinsic fabrication impurities, which reduces the nanoparticles’ free surface exposed to plasticization by supercritical fluids. Supercritical Ar, a good solvent for polystyrene, enabled effective soldering of nanoparticles, whereas high-pressure He treatment is entirely reversible.
Authors with CRIS profile
Reza Mohammadi Eslami
Lehrstuhl für Feststoff- und Grenzflächenverfahrenstechnik
Nicolas Vogel
Professur für Partikelsynthese
Involved external institutions
Adam Mickiewicz University / Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu (UAM)
Poland (PL)
Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung (MPI-P) / Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research
Germany (DE)
Poland (PL)
Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung (MPI-P) / Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research
Germany (DE)
How to cite
APA:
Varghese, J., Mohammadi, R., Pochylski, M., Babacic, V., Gapinski, J., Vogel, N.,... Graczykowski, B. (2023). Size-dependent nanoscale soldering of polystyrene colloidal crystals by supercritical fluids. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 633, 314-322. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2022.11.090
MLA:
Varghese, Jeena, et al. "Size-dependent nanoscale soldering of polystyrene colloidal crystals by supercritical fluids." Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 633 (2023): 314-322.
BibTeX: Download