Capillary-driven self-assembly of soft ellipsoidal microgels at the air-water interface.

ABSTRACT: The adsorption of ellipsoidal colloidal particles on liquid interfaces induces interfacial deformation, resulting in anisotropic interface-mediated interactions and the formation of superstructures. Soft prolate-shaped microgels at the air-water interface offer an ideal model for studying spontaneous capillary-driven self-assembly due to their tunable aspect ratio, controlled functionality, and softness. These microgels consist of a polystyrene core surrounded by a cross-linked, fluorescently labeled poly([Formula: see text]-isopropylmethylacrylamide) shell. By uniaxially stretching the particles embedded in polyvinyl alcohol films, the aspect ratio [Formula: see text] can be finely adjusted. [Formula: see text] was found to vary from 1 to 8.8 as estimated in their swollen conformation at

SUBMITTER: Hazra N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11670208 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature