4.6 Article

Controlling Bicontinuous Structures through a Solvent Segregation-Driven Gel

Journal

LANGMUIR
Volume 37, Issue 6, Pages 2170-2178

Publisher

AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c03472

Keywords

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Funding

  1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) [70NANB12H239, 70NANB10H256]
  2. U.S. Department of Commerce
  3. National Institute of Standards and Technology [DMR-1508249]
  4. National Science Foundation [DMR-1508249]
  5. NSF [DMR-0520547]
  6. EU [654000]

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In recent years, a new type of colloidal gel - SeedGel has been demonstrated as an effective method to control bicontinuous structures, such as repeating distances and domain sizes, by adjusting the sample composition. Research shows that the quenching rate is a key parameter for controlling domain sizes. Further high-temperature experiments reveal the structure evolution in SeedGel systems.
The past decade has seen increased research interest in studying bicontinuous structures formed via colloidal self-assembly due to their many useful applications. A new type of colloidal gel, solvent segregation-driven gel (SeedGel), has been recently demonstrated as an effective approach to arrest bicontinuous structures with unique and intriguing properties, such as thermoreversibility, structural reproducibility, and sensitive temperature response. Here, using a model system with silica particles in the 2,6-lutidine/water binary solvent, we investigate the factors controlling the domain size of a SeedGel system by varying the particle concentration, solvent ratio, and quenching protocol. A phase diagram is identified to produce SeedGels for this model system. Our results indicate that by adjusting the sample composition, it is possible to realize bicontinuous domains with well-controlled repeating distances (periodicities). In addition, the effect of quenching rate on the domain size is systematically investigated, showing that it is a very sensitive parameter to control domain sizes. By further heating SeedGel up into the spinodal region, the structure evolution under high temperatures is also investigated and discussed. These results provide important insights into how to control bicontinuous structures in SeedGel systems.

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