Fabrication and self-assembly of the tetrahedron dimpled colloidal particles

Highly monodisperse, tetrahedral colloidal particles featuring four spherical dimples arranged symmetrically one per face were synthesized via classical seeded polymerization. The depth and number of dimples on the surface of the particles could be precisely tuned by varying the operation parameters including temperature, the compound solvent polarity, and 2-ethylhexylmethacrylate (EHMA) monomer concentration. The formation mechanism of the anisotropic colloidal particles was ascribed to the phase separation of polystyrene phase and PEHMA phase. Furthermore, the obtained tetrahedron dimpled colloidal particles were assembled with well-matched spherical particles via depletion interaction and centrifugal force, forming a colloidal cluster with a well-defined complex structure. These anisotropic colloidal particles and the various structures assembled from them can be used potentially as the basic building blocks to construct multi-dimension materials. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

In this study, highly monodisperse tetrahedral colloidal particles with four spherical dimples were synthesized using classical seeded polymerization. The depth and number of dimples on the particle surface were precisely controlled by adjusting operation parameters. These anisotropic colloidal particles were successfully assembled with spherical particles, forming colloidal clusters with well-defined complex structures. This research provides a potential strategy for constructing multi-dimensional materials using these anisotropic colloidal particles.