Smith, G.N. orcid.org/0000-0002-0074-5657, Derry, M.J., Hallett, J.E. et al. (5 more authors) (2019) Refractive index matched, nearly hard polymer colloids. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 475 (2226). ISSN 1364-5021
Abstract
Refractive index matched particles serve as essential model systems for colloid scientists, providing nearly hard spheres to explore structure and dynamics. The poly(methyl methacrylate) latexes typically used are often refractive index matched by dispersing them in binary solvent mixtures, but this can lead to undesirable changes, such as particle charging or swelling. To avoid these shortcomings, we have synthesized refractive index matched colloids using polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) rather than as polymer latexes. The crucial difference is that these diblock copolymer nanoparticles consist of a single core-forming polymer in a single non-ionizable solvent. The diblock copolymer chosen was poly(stearyl methacrylate)–poly(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate) (PSMA–PTFEMA), which self-assembles to form PTFEMA core spheres in n-alkanes. By monitoring scattered light intensity, n-tetradecane was found to be the optimal solvent for matching the refractive index of such nanoparticles. As expected for PISA syntheses, the diameter of the colloids can be controlled by varying the PTFEMA degree of polymerization. Concentrated dispersions were prepared, and the diffusion of the PSMA–PTFEMA nanoparticles as a function of volume fraction was measured. These diblock copolymer nanoparticles are a promising new system of transparent spheres for future colloidal studies.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 The Author(s). This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Proc. of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Colloids; Light Scattering; X-ray Scattering; Transparent Dispersions |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Chemistry (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number European Research Council PISA - 320372 Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) EP/R003009/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 19 Jul 2019 09:16 |
Last Modified: | 19 Jul 2019 09:16 |
Published Version: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsp... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | The Royal Society |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1098/rspa.2018.0763 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:148568 |