Synthesis of tetrahedral patchy nanoparticles with controlled patch size

Pierre-Etienne Rouet (1, 2) , Rawan Khalaf (1) , Stéphanie Exiga (1) , Etienne Duguet (2) , Serge Ravaine (1)

1 CRPP - Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal
2 ICMCB - Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux

Silica nanoparticles with four circular surface patches made of polystyrene (PS) and arranged in a tetrahedral symmetry are synthesized through the multi-step growth of the silica core of silica/PS tetrapods. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-Ray analysis studies indicate that, as the silica core regrows, its surface conforms to the shape of the polystyrene nodules, allowing good control of the size of the emerged fraction of these. Patches with an angular width as small as 49° were achieved, which is a prerequisite for their assembly in the form of a diamond crystal phase.

Mots clés: patchy nanoparticles; tetrahedral; patch size

Domaines: Matériaux

Pierre-Etienne Rouet, Rawan Khalaf, Stéphanie Exiga, Etienne Duguet, Serge Ravaine. Synthesis of tetrahedral patchy nanoparticles with controlled patch size. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 2020, 22 (10), ⟨10.1007/s11051-020-05060-w⟩. ⟨hal-02986056⟩