Toward a Unified Description of the Electrostatic Assembly of Microgels and Nanoparticles

• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c14608
• Publication Date: 2023-12-07T16:25:55Z
• Authors: Francesco Brasili; Giovanni Del Monte; Angela Capocefalo; Edouard Chauveau; Elena Buratti; Stefano Casciardi; Domenico Truzzolillo; Simona Sennato; Emanuela Zaccarelli
• Keywords: Electrostatics; Particle (ecology)

The interplay of soft responsive particles, such as microgels, with nanoparticles (NPs) yields highly versatile complexes that show great potential for applications, ranging from plasmonic sensing to catalysis and drug delivery. However, the microgel-NP assembly process has not been investigated so far at microscopic level, thus hindering possibility designing hybrid systems a priori. In this work, we combine state-of-the-art numerical simulations experiments elucidate fundamental mechanisms taking place when is controlled by electrostatic interactions associated effects on structure resulting complexes. We find general behavior where, increasing number interacting NPs, microgel deswells up minimum size after which plateau occurs. This occurs either NPs are mainly adsorbed corona via folding more external chains or penetrate inside microgel, thereby inducing collective reorganization polymer network. By varying properties, fraction cross-linkers charge, well NP further deswelling curves can be rescaled onto single master curve, both simulations, demonstrating entirely charge whole complex. Our results have direct relevance in materials science offer novel tools tailor nanofabrication devices technological interest.