Search results for "colloids"
showing 10 items of 89 documents
Optical properties of biocompatible polyaniline nano-composites
2006
Abstract Polyaniline (PANI) is an electro-active polymer of great interest thanks to its outstanding physical and chemical properties which make it suitable for various applications in optics, bioelectronics, biosensors, diagnostics and therapeutic devices. Unfortunately, PANI is infusible and insoluble in most common solvents and, thus, very difficult to process. In the attempt of improving processability, yet preserving its interesting properties, PANI has been synthesized in the form of particles and dispersed into a hydrogel matrix. The synthesis of PANI–hydrogel composites proceeds via γ-irradiation of PANI dispersions as obtained by ‘in situ’ polymerization of aniline in the presence …
Phase Behavior of Active Swimmers in Depletants: Molecular Dynamics and Integral Equation Theory
2013
We study the structure and phase behavior of a binary mixture where one of the components is self-propelling in nature. The inter-particle interactions in the system were taken from the Asakura-Oosawa model, for colloid-polymer mixtures, for which the phase diagram is known. In the current model version the colloid particles were made active using the Vicsek model for self-propelling particles. The resultant active system was studied by molecular dynamics methods and integral equation theory. Both methods produce results consistent with each other and demonstrate that the Vicsek model based activity facilitates phase separation, thus broadening the coexistence region.
Tuning the Structure of Galacturonate Hydrogels: External Gelation by Ca, Zn, or Fe Cationic Cross-Linkers
2019
International audience; We show here how the nature of various divalent cations M2+ (Ca2+, Zn2+, or Fe2+) influences the structure and mechanical properties of ionotropic polygalacturonate (polyGal) hydrogels designed by the diffusion of cations along one direction (external gelation). All hydrogels exhibit strong gradients of polyGal and cation concentrations, which are similar for all studied cations with a constant ratio R = [M2+]/[Gal] equal to 0.25, showing that every M2+ cation interacts with four galacturonate (Gal) units all along the gels. The regions of the hydrogels formed in the early stages of the gelation process are also similar for all cations and are homogeneous, with the s…
Electrophoretic flow behaviour and mobility of colloidal fluids and crystals.
2007
We report on measurements of the electrophoretic mobility mu of charged colloidal spheres in the deionized state, where the suspensions show fluid or crystalline order. In the fluid state, parabolic flow profiles are observed due to electro-osmotic solvent flow. In the crystalline state, complex flow profiles occur due to additional crystal cohesion. The mobility mu then may inferred from the flow velocity averaged over the complete cell cross section as performed in our home built super-heterodyne Doppler velocimeter. For two particle species of 68 and 122 nm diameter we measured mu as a function of particle concentration. Starting from a plateau value at low concentration, mu decreases ap…
Electrophoresis of colloidal dispersions in the low-salt regime
2007
We study the electrophoretic mobility of spherical charged colloids in a low-salt suspension as a function of the colloidal concentration. Using an effective particle charge and a reduced screening parameter, we map the data for systems with different particle charges and sizes, including numerical simulation data with full electrostatics and hydrodynamics and experimental data for latex dispersions, on a single master curve. We observe two different volume fraction-dependent regimes for the electrophoretic mobility that can be explained in terms of the static properties of the ionic double layer.
Directed Assembly of Soft Colloids through Rapid Solvent Exchange
2015
We studied the directed assembly of soft nanoparticles through rapid micromixing of polymers in solution with a nonsolvent. Both experiments and computer simulations were performed to elucidate the underlying physics and to investigate the role of various process parameters. In particular, we discovered that no external stabilizing agents or charged end groups are required to keep the colloids separated from each other when water is used as the nonsolvent. Furthermore, the size of the nanoparticles can be reliably tuned through the mixing rate and the ratio between polymer solution and nonsolvent. Our results demonstrate that this mechanism is highly promising for the mass fabrication of un…
Shape transitions of giant liposomes induced by an anisotropic spontaneous curvature
2000
International audience; We explore how a magnetic field breaks the symmetry of an initially spherical giant liposome filled with a magnetic colloid. The condition of rotational symmetry along the field axis leads either to a prolate or to an oblate ellipsoid. We demonstrate that an electrostatic interaction between the nanoparticles and the membrane triggers the shape transition. PACS numbers: 75.
Experimental studies on the detachment of multi-walled carbon nanotubes by a mobile liquid interface
2017
International audience; Retention and detachment of colloidal particles from surfaces is often considered only in terms of spontaneous chemical dispersion when the surface is already fully submerged. Nevertheless, interfacial processes, where the particles are caught on a mobile liquid contact line by capillary effects are ubiquitous. Theoretical description of such interfacial processes exist for spherical microcolloids, while for anisotropic shapes the literature is limited. Arc-discharge synthesized multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) material contains besides the very anisotropic tubes also irregular amorphous carbon particles (ACP) that both are strongly hydrophobic. As a water–air–soli…
GFP-mut2 Proteins in Trehalose-Water Matrixes: Spatially Heterogeneous Protein-Water-Sugar Structures
2007
We report investigations on the properties of nanoenvironments around single-GFP-mut2 proteins in trehalose-water matrixes. Single-GFPmut2 molecules embedded in thin trehalose-water films were characterized in terms of their fluorescence brightness, bleaching dynamics, excited state lifetime, and fluorescence polarization. For each property, sets of approximately 100-150 single molecules have been investigated as a function of trehalose content and hydration. Three distinct and interconverting families of proteins have been found which differ widely in terms of bleaching dynamics, brightness, and fluorescence polarization, whose relative populations sizably depend on sample hydration. The r…
Optical active centres in ZnO samples
2006
Abstract In recent years, there has been a resurgence in the interest in the use of ZnO (Eg ∼ 3.37 eV) as a material for a wide range of opto-emitter applications spanning visible and short wavelengths. Bulk, thin films and nanomaterials obtained using different synthesis methods have been investigated for optoelectronic and biotechnological device applications. Nominally undoped bulk samples typically present a myriad-structured near-band-edge recombination, mainly due to free/bound excitons and donor–acceptor pair transitions. Furthermore, deep level emission due to intrinsic defects and extrinsic impurities, such as transition metal ions, are commonly observed in different grades of bulk…