Modeling of tunable structural re-configuration of Janus colloidal particles
Abstract
Colloidal particles can assemble into a myriad of structures by virtue of the many interaction forces available to them. Variable range attraction and repulsion and the recently explored non-isotropic character, exemplified by Janus particles, are examples of the versatility of colloidal particles as building blocks. A systematic approach to understand the assembly of Janus colloids, as a function of Janus balance and particle concentration is not yet available. In this work we study the phase behavior of Janus particles as a function of the strength of interaction, Janus balance and volume fraction of spherical particles. A secondary goal of this work is the assessment of re-configurability of the structures found. Our results show the range of stability of several structures, including a fluid phase of small clusters, bilayers and worm-like aggregates. We find the bilayer structures are very stable over a range of phase space and provide a good pre-cursor to hexagonally close-packed structures. These findings enable the understanding of the assembly process of Janus building blocks and provide a framework with which to study the kinetics of structure change.
Work supported by U.S. Army Research Office under Grant Award No. W911NF-10-1-0518- Publication:
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APS March Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- March 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013APS..MARM30003B