Nonadditive Interactions Unlock Small-Particle Mobility in Binary Colloidal Monolayers.

ABSTRACT: We examine the organization and dynamics of binary colloidal monolayers composed of micron-scale silica particles interspersed with smaller-diameter silica particles that serve as minority component impurities. These binary monolayers are prepared at the surface of ionic liquid droplets over a range of size ratios (σ = 0.16-0.66) and are studied with low-dose minimally perturbative scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The high resolution of SEM imaging provides direct tracking of all particle coordinates over time, enabling a complete description of the microscopic state. In these bidisperse size mixtures, particle interactions are nonadditive because interfacial pinning to the droplet surface causes the equators of differently sized particles to lie in separate planes. By varying the size

SUBMITTER: Raybin JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10173694 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature