Selective Vapor Condensation for the Synthesis and Assembly of Spherical Colloids with a Precise Rough Patch

• DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00812
• Publication Date: 2024-03-04T19:08:30Z
• Authors: Kennedy A. Guillot; Philip J. Brahana; Ahmed Al Harraq; Nduka D. Ogbonna; Nicholas S. Lombardo; Jimmy Lawrence; Yaxin An; Michael G. Benton; Bhuvnesh Bharti
• Keywords: Polystyrene; Particle (ecology)

Patchy particles occupy an increasingly important space in soft matter research due to their ability assemble into intricate phases and states. Being able fine-tune the interactions among these is essential understanding principles governing self-assembly processes. However, current fabrication techniques often yield patches that deviate chemically physically from native particles, impeding identification of driving forces behind self-assembly. To overcome this challenge, we propose a new approach synthesizing spherical colloids with well-defined rough patch on surface. By treating polystyrene microspheres vapors good solvent, here acetone–water mixture, achieve selective polymer corrugation particle surface resulting similar yet patch. The key step condensation apex microparticles immobilized substrate, which leads formation. We leverage tune vapor–liquid equilibrium volatile mixture precisely control demonstrate dependence formation substrate wettability, occurring only when it more wettable than consistent Volmer's classical nucleation theory. combining experiments molecular dynamics simulations, identify role depletion interaction-driven microspheres, crucial for designing programmable supracolloidal structures.