Stability of binary colloids: kinetic and structural aspects of heteroaggregation processes

Electrostatic Heteroaggregation: Fundamentals and Applications in Interfacial Engineering

The aggregation of oppositely charged soft materials (particles, surfactants, polyelectrolytes, etc.) that differ in one or more physical or chemical attributes, broadly referred to as electrostatic heteroaggregation, has been an active area of research for several decades now. While electrostatic heteroaggregation (EHA) is relevant to diverse fields such as environmental engineering, food technology, and pharmaceutical formulations, more recently there has been a resurgence to explore various aspects of this phenomenon in the context of interface stabilization and the development of functional materials. In this Feature Article, we provide an overview of the recent contributions of our group to this exciting field with particular emphasis on fundamental studies of electrostatic heteroaggregation between oppositely charged systems in the bulk, at interfaces, and across the bulk/interface. The influence of the size and shape of particles and the surface charge of heteroaggregates on the formation of Pickering emulsions and their utilization in the development of porous ceramics is discussed.

Structural correlations in highly asymmetric binary charged colloidal mixtures

We explore structural correlations of strongly asymmetric mixtures of binary charged colloids within the primitive model of electrolytes considering large charge and size ratios of 10 and higher. Using computer simulations with explicit microions, we obtain the partial pair correlation functions between the like-charged colloidal macroions. Interestingly the big-small correlation peak amplitude is smaller than that of the big-big and small-small macroion correlation peaks, which is unfamiliar for additive repulsive interactions. Extracting optimal effective microion-averaged pair interactions between the macroions, we find that on top of non-additive Yukawa-like repulsions an additional shifted Gaussian attractive potential between the small macroions is needed to accurately reproduce their correct pair correlations. For small Coulomb couplings, the behavior is reproduced in a coarse-grained theory with microion-averaged effective interactions between the macroions. However, the accuracy of the theory deteriorates with increasing Coulomb coupling. We emphasize the relevance of entropic interactions exerted by the microions on the macroions. Our results are experimentally verifiable in binary mixtures of micron-sized colloids and like-charge nanoparticles.

Exploiting Heteroaggregation to Quantify the Contact Angle of Charged Colloids at Interfaces

We exploit the aggregation between oppositely charged particles to visualize and quantify the equilibrium position of charged colloidal particles at the fluid-water interface. A dispersion of commercially available charge-stabilized nanoparticles was used as the aqueous phase to create oil-water and air-water interfaces. The colloidal particles whose charge was opposite that of the nanoparticles in the aqueous phase were deposited at the chosen fluid-water interface. Heteroaggregation, i.e., aggregation between oppositely charged particles, leads to the deposition of nanoparticles onto the larger particle located at the interface; however, this only occurs on the surface of the particle in contact with the aqueous phase. This selective deposition of nanoparticles on the surfaces of the particles exposed to water enables the distinct visualization of the circular three-phase contact line around the particles positioned at the fluid-water interface. Since the electrostatic association between the nanoparticles and the colloids at interfaces is strong, the nanoparticle assembly on the larger particles is preserved even after being transferred to solid substrates via dip-coating. This facilitates the easy visualization of the contact line by electron microscopy and the determination of the equilibrium contact angle of colloidal particles (θ) at the fluid-water interface. The suitability of the method is demonstrated by the measurement of the three-phase contact angle of positively and negatively charged polystyrene particles located at fluid-water interfaces by considering particles with sizes varying from 220 nm to 8.71 μm. The study highlights the effect of the size ratio between the nanoparticles in the aqueous phase and the colloidal particles on the accuracy of the measurement of θ.

Role of Nanotechnology and Their Perspectives in the Treatment of Kidney Diseases

Nanoparticles (NPs) are differing in particle size, charge, shape, and compatibility of targeting ligands, which are linked to improved pharmacologic characteristics, targetability, and bioavailability. Researchers are now tasked with developing a solution for enhanced renal treatment that is free of side effects and delivers the medicine to the active spot. A growing number of nano-based medication delivery devices are being used to treat renal disorders. Kidney disease management and treatment are currently causing a substantial global burden. Renal problems are multistep processes involving the accumulation of a wide range of molecular and genetic alterations that have been related to a variety of kidney diseases. Renal filtration is a key channel for drug elimination in the kidney, as well as a burgeoning topic of nanomedicine. Although the use of nanotechnology in the treatment of renal illnesses is still in its early phases, it offers a lot of potentials. In this review, we summarized the properties of the kidney and characteristics of drug delivery systems, which affect a drug’s ability should focus on the kidney and highlight the possibilities, problems, and opportunities.

Macroporous Ceramic Monolith from Nanoparticle-Polyelectrolyte-Stabilized Pickering Emulsions

In this work, we present a simple and scalable approach for fabricating porous ceramic from emulsions stabilized by a binary mixture of oppositely charged nanoparticles and a polyelectrolyte. The electrostatic heteroaggregation is exploited to form weakly charged particle-polyelectrolyte complexes (PPCs) that readily stabilize oil-in-water emulsions. The concentration of surface-active PPCs is varied to obtain Pickering emulsion gels that can be processed and converted into the macroporous ceramic structure. The polyelectrolyte in the binary mixture not only enables the adsorption of particles to the oil-water interface and renders processability of the emulsions but also acts as a binder. Nearly one-to-one correspondence between the microstructure of the green ceramic obtained after the evaporation of solvents from the gel-like emulsions and the parent emulsions is observed. The green ceramic is further sintered under controlled conditions to obtain a porous ceramic monolith. We demonstrate that the microstructure and the pore size distribution in the final ceramic can be altered by tuning the composition of the individual species used in the emulsion formulation, i.e., by optimization of the particle-polyelectrolyte ratio used in the processing route.

Development of curcumin loaded core-shell zein microparticles stabilized by cellulose nanocrystals and whey protein microgels through interparticle interactions

Novel multilayered core-shell microparticles were developed to deliver curcumin using positively charged zein microparticles coated with negatively charged cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and positively charged whey protein microgels (WPMs) at pH 4. Different levels of WPMs (0.10%-1.50%, w/v) were utilized to regulate the structure, stability, and in vitro digestion of curcumin loaded zein-CNC core-shell microparticles. The size of zein-CNC-WPM core-shell microparticles ranged from 2087.7 to 2928.2 nm. The electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding were mainly involved in the assembly of the core-shell microparticles through particle-particle interactions. The microstructure of the core-shell microparticles was dependent on the level of the WPM. When its appropriate level was adopted (0.50%-1.00%, w/v), the WPM formed a protective shell for zein-CNC-WPM core-shell microparticles. The retention rate of curcumin in the core-shell microparticles increased by 47.56% and 32.79% during light and thermal treatment, respectively. Excess microgels facilitated the bridging aggregation and formation of a network structure on the particle surface, which further reduced their stability and greatly restricted the curcumin release. The potential of nanosized protein microgels was explored to stabilize and modulate the physicochemical properties of multilayered core-shell microparticles through interparticle interactions.

Composite materials based on heteroaggregated particles: Fundamentals and applications

Homoaggregation of dispersed particles, i.e., aggregation of particles of the same shape, charge, size, and composition, is a well-studied field and various theoretical and experimental approaches exist to understand the major phenomena involved in such processes. Besides, heteroaggregation of particles, i.e., aggregation of particles of different shape, charge, size, or composition, has attracted widespread interest due to its relevance in various biomedical, industrial, and environmental systems. For instance, heteroaggregation of plastic contaminant particles with naturally occurring solid materials in waters (e.g., clays, silica and organic polymers) plays an important role in the decontamination technologies. Moreover, nanofabrication processes involving heteroaggregation of particles to prepare novel composite materials are widely implemented in fundamental science and in more applied disciplines. In such procedures, stable particle dispersions are mixed and the desired structure forms owing to the presence of interparticle forces of various origins, which can be tuned by performing appropriate surface functionalization as well as altering the experimental conditions. These composites are widely used in different fields from sensing through catalysis to biomedical delivery. The present review summarizes the recent progresses in the field including new findings regarding the basic principles in particle heteroaggregation, preparation strategies of heteroaggregated structures of different morphology, and the application of the obtained hybrid composites. Such information will be very helpful to those involved in the design of novel composites consisting of different nano or colloidal particles.

The macroscopic shape of assemblies formed from microparticles based on host-guest interaction dependent on the guest content

Biological macroscopic assemblies have inspired researchers to utilize molecular recognition to develop smart materials in these decades. Recently, macroscopic self-assemblies based on molecular recognition have been realized using millimeter-scale hydrogel pieces possessing molecular recognition moieties. During the study on macroscopic self-assembly based on molecular recognition, we noticed that the shape of assemblies might be dependent on the host-guest pair. In this study, we were thus motivated to study the macroscopic shape of assemblies formed through host-guest interaction. We modified crosslinked poly(sodium acrylate) microparticles, i.e., superabsorbent polymer (SAP) microparticles, with β-cyclodextrin (βCD) and adamantyl (Ad) residues (βCD(x)-SAP and Ad(y)-SAP microparticles, respectively, where x and y denote the mol% contents of βCD and Ad residues). Then, we studied the self-assembly behavior of βCD(x)-SAP and Ad(y)-SAP microparticles through the complexation of βCD with Ad residues. There was a threshold of the βCD content in βCD(x)-SAP microparticles for assembly formation between x = 22.3 and 26.7. On the other hand, the shape of assemblies was dependent on the Ad content, y; More elongated assemblies were formed at a higher y. This may be because, at a higher y, small clusters formed in an early stage can stick together even upon collisions at a single contact point to form elongated aggregates, whereas, at a smaller y, small clusters stick together only upon collisions at multiple contact points to give rather circular assemblies. On the basis of these observations, the shape of assembly formed from microparticles can be controlled by varying y.

Highly efficient removal of silver nanoparticles by sponge-like hierarchically porous thiourea-formaldehyde resin from Water

With the increasing production and rapid market penetration as well as the confirmation of the toxic effects, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one kind of newly emerging environmental contaminants of high concern. It is urgent to develop the efficient method to remove them from the environment. In this study, the sponge-like hierarchically porous thiourea-formaldehyde (TF) resin rich with nitrogen and sulfur was for the first time proposed as the adsorbent to achieve this goal. With enormous interconnected layer structure and plentiful macropores, the porous TF resin provided abundant available interaction sites and fast mass transfer to adsorb citrate stabilized AgNPs (citrate-AgNPs). Fast adsorption rate and high adsorption capacity (2478 mg/g) were obtained based on the electrostatic and metal-ligand interactions. Heterogeneous aggregation and simultaneous adsorption contributed to this removal process. Furthermore, with the assistance of NaCl, the porous TF resin exhibited largely enhanced removal efficiency towards citrate-AgNPs up to 98.7 % in 5 min, possibly due to the co-operation of adsorption and coagulation. This study proposed a promising adsorbent to remove AgNPs and provided a referential strategy to design highly efficient adsorbents for removal of nanoparticles.

Probing particle heteroaggregation using analytical centrifugation

The controlled aggregation of colloidal particles is not only a widespread natural phenomenon but also serves as a tool to design complex building blocks with tailored shape and functionalities. However, the quantitative characterization of such heteroaggregation processes remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate the use of analytical centrifugation to characterize the heteroaggregation of silica particles and soft microgels bearing similar surface charges. We investigate the attachment as well as the stability of the formed heteroaggregates as a function of particle to microgel surface ratio, microgel size and the influence of temperature. The attachment of microgels onto the colloidal particles induces a change in the sedimentation coefficient, which is used to quantitatively identify the number of attached microgels. We corroborate the shift in sedimentation coefficient by computer simulations of the frictional properties of heteroaggregates via a modified Brownian dynamic algorithm. The comparison between theoretical investigations and experiments suggest that the microgels deform and flatten upon attachment.

Coadsorption of Counterionic Colloids at Fluid Interfaces: A Coarse-Grained Simulation Study of Gibbs Monolayers

Monolayers of oppositely charged colloids form versatile self-organizing substrates, with a recognized potential to tailor functional interfaces. In this study, a coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulation approach is laid out to assess the structural properties of Gibbs monolayers, in which one of the counterionic species is partially soluble. It is shown that the composition of this type of monolayer varies in a nontrivial way with surface coverage, as a result of a subtle competition between steric and attractive forces. In the regime of weak electrostatic interactions, the monolayer is depleted of soluble colloids as the surface coverage is increased. At sufficiently strong interactions, the incorporation of soluble colloids is favored at high surface coverage, leading to a re-entrant-type behavior in the expansion/compression isotherms. Strong electrostatic interactions also favor the clustering of the colloids, leading to a range of aggregated configurations, qualitatively resembling those obtained in previous experimental studies. At sufficiently high surface coverage, the clusters collapse into a gel-like percolated mesoscopic structure and eventually into a square crystal lattice configuration. Such interfacial structures are in good agreement with the ones observed in the few experimental investigations available for these systems, showing that the simple methodology introduced in this study provides a valuable predictive framework to anticipate the landscape of interfacial structures that may be produced with oppositely charged colloids, through the modulation of pair interactions and thermodynamical conditions.

Heteroaggregation of soil particulate organic matter and biogenic selenium nanoparticles for remediation of elemental mercury contamination

Particulate organic matter (POM), composed of fine root fragments and other organic debris, is an important fraction of soil organic matter which can affect the fate of nanoparticles and influence their performance in nanoparticle-based remediation technologies due to aggregation. Effects of POM are not well studied compared with those of dissolved organic matter. In this research, POM was extracted from black soil by sieving, and heteroaggregation of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with POM and consequences for elemental mercury (Hg⁰) immobilization were investigated. It was found that low concentrations of more negatively charged POM (0-60 mg L^-1) inhibited homoaggregation as well as heteroaggregation with SeNPs which had a lower negative charge through electrostatic repulsion. In the presence of high concentrations of POM (80-100 mg L^-1), SeNPs were more likely to attach to POM with more Hg⁰ remaining in the POM since a larger concentration of nanoparticles would lead to more effective collisions. However, Hg⁰ immobilization efficiency using SeNPs was not significantly influenced by the addition of POM. This work is helpful to further understand the nanoparticle's behaviour in the environment and consequences for toxic metal remediation.

Modification of Physicochemical Properties by Heteroaggregation of Oppositely Charged Lactoferrin and Soybean Protein Isolate Coated DHA Emulsion Droplets

In this study, the effect of heteroaggregation (HA) on the physicochemical stability and the formation of volatile substances of DHA emulsions was investigated. HA-DHA emulsions were produced by combination of lactoferrin (LF)-DHA and soy protein isolate (SPI)-DHA emulsions at pH 6.0. Zeta-potentials, droplet sizes, stability, and microstructures were measured as a function of different ratios of LF-DHA to SPI-DHA droplets. DHA oxidation of single and HA emulsions was determined through measurements of lipid hydroperoxides, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and the formation of volatile substances. LF-DHA to SPI-DHA droplets ratios of 5:5, 4:6, and 3:7 formed stable emulsions. The lowest zeta-potential, biggest droplet size, and optimum physical stability of heteroaggregated emulsion occurred at a 5:5 of LF-DHA to SPI-DHA droplet ratio. Microstructure behavior indicated that the HA emulsions (LF-DHA droplets/SPI-DHA droplets = 5:5) formed specific three-dimensional uniform networks. The formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, lipid hydroperoxides, and volatile compounds including hexanal and ( E, E)-2,4-heptadienal decreased in HA compared to single emulsions. The results indicated that the physicochemical stability of DHA emulsions was enhanced and that the formation of volatile substances was inhibited by HA. It thus demonstrated the utilization of HA to improve the stability of bioactive compounds in emulsions.

The effect of unadsorbed proteins on the physiochemical properties of the heteroaggregates of oppositely charged lactoferrin coated lutein droplets and whey protein isolate coated DHA droplets

It was reported that the controlled heteroaggregation of oppositely charged lactoferrin (LF)-lutein droplets and whey protein isolate (WPI)-DHA droplets enhanced the physicochemical properties of emulsions. The effect of the unadsorbed proteins on the physicochemical properties of the heteroaggregates of emulsions has not been clear. Therefore, the effects of unadsorbed proteins on the physicochemical stability of heteroaggregates of LF-lutein droplets and WPI-DHA droplets were investigated. The particle size, zeta-potential, transmission-physical stability, microstructure were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) and the chemical stability (lutein degradation and DHA oxidation) of the unwashed and washed heteroaggregates were measured. The results showed that compared with unwashed emulsions, the particle sizes and instability indexes of WPI-DHA emulsions, heteroaggregated LF-lutein/WPI-DHA emulsions and LF-lutein emulsions changed after washing. The instability index of washed-1 heteroaggregated LF-lutein/WPI-DHA emulsion was 10.5 times greater compared with the unwashed samples. The microstructure images showed that the washed single and heteroaggregated emulsions resulted in creaming. The unadsorbed proteins had a great protective effect on the physical stability of the emulsions, especially for the heteroaggregated LF-lutein/WPI-DHA emulsion. The degradation rate of lutein, lipid hydroperoxides and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values of DHA in washed single and heteroaggregated emulsions were higher than those of the unwashed samples. This proved that the unadsorbed proteins dominated the physicochemical stabilities of heteroaggregates. This laid the foundation for the study of a delivery system of functional component heteroaggregates.

Quenching of fully symmetric mixtures of oppositely charged microgels: the role of soft stiffness

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the self-assembly of a coarse-grained binary system of oppositely charged microgels, symmetric in size and concentration. The microgel pair interactions are described by an effective pair potential which implicitly accounts for the averaged ionic contributions, in addition to a short-range elastic repulsion that accounts for the overlapping of the polymer chains, the latter being described by the Hertzian interaction. Particular emphasis is placed on the role played by the strength of the soft repulsive interaction on the resulting particle aggregation. It is found that the possibility of particle inter-penetration in oppositely charged soft particles results in a much wider variety of cluster morphologies in comparison with their hard-spheres counterparts. Specifically, the softness of the steric interactions enhances the competition between repulsive and attractive electrostatic interactions, leading to the formation of aggregates that are comprised of strongly bounded charged particles displaying a low degree of charge ordering.

Interactions between biogenic selenium nanoparticles and goethite colloids and consequence for remediation of elemental mercury contaminated groundwater

Ubiquitous colloidal minerals such as goethite can have a significant impact on the performance of nanoparticles-based groundwater remediation due to aggregation. Heteroaggregation and retention of Se nanoparticles (SeNPs) by goethite in groundwater, and its impact on Hg⁰ remediation by SeNPs were investigated in this study. In order to mitigate the adverse effects of aggregation, the effects of bacterial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on the stability of SeNPs and Hg⁰ sequestration using SeNPs were also evaluated. Heteroaggregation of SeNPs with goethite in groundwater was stronger than homoaggregation of SeNPs or goethite. Addition of EPS could slightly decrease homoaggregation of SeNPs and significantly reduce heteroaggregation. Column transport experiments showed that goethite coated quartz sand could retain 1.36 times a higher amount of SeNPs than uncoated quartz sand. Hg⁰ remediation by SeNPs was significantly inhibited by heteroaggregation of SeNPs with goethite and EPS could effectively mitigate this inhibitory effect. The Hg⁰ removal efficiency decreased to 71.6% and 66.9%, respectively in the presence of 20 and 100mgL^-1 goethite. When 200mgL^-1 EPS was added together with 100mgL^-1 goethite, 81.2% of the supplied Hg⁰ was removed from the groundwater. This study demonstrates that the widespread presence of goethite could significantly reduce the remediation efficiency of Hg⁰ contaminated groundwater and that EPS is a promising amendment for mitigating the adverse effects of heteroaggregation. This research also contributes to a further understanding of the environmental behaviour of nanoparticles.

Aggregation and fragmentation in liquids with dispersed nanoparticles

Nanoparticle-induced aggregation and fragmentation phenomena in liquid media are investigated by applying a model of preferential attachment of dispersing molecules to randomly chosen nanoparticles and larger particles, each containing a single nanoparticle.

Generation of Polymer Nanocomposites through Shear-Driven Aggregation of Binary Colloids

Design of polymer nanocomposites has been an intense research topic in recent decades because hybrid nanomaterials are widely used in many fields. Throughout their development, there has often been a challenging issue how one can uniformly distribute nanoparticles (NPs) in a polymer matrix, avoiding their agglomeration. In this short review, we first introduce the theory of colloidal aggregation/gelation purely based on intense shear forces. Then, we illustrate a methodology for preparing polymer nanocomposites where the NPs (as fillers) are uniformly and randomly distributed inside a matrix of polymer NPs, based on intense shear-driven aggregation of binary colloids, without using any additives. Its feasibility has been demonstrated using two stable binary colloids composed of (1) poly-methyl methacrylate fillers and polystyrene NPs, and (2) graphene oxide sheets (fillers) and poly-vinylidene fluoride NPs. The mechanism leading to capturing and distribution of the fillers inside the polymer NP matrix has been illustrated, and the advantages of the proposed methodology compared with the other common methods are also discussed.

Dynamic Colloidal Molecules Maneuvered by Light-Controlled Janus Micromotors

In this work, we propose and demonstrate a dynamic colloidal molecule that is capable of moving autonomously and performing swift, reversible, and in-place assembly dissociation in a high accuracy by manipulating a TiO₂/Pt Janus micromotor with light irradiation. Due to the efficient motion of the TiO₂/Pt Janus motor and the light-switchable electrostatic interactions between the micromotor and colloidal particles, the colloidal particles can be captured and assembled one by one on the fly, subsequently forming into swimming colloidal molecules by mimicking space-filling models of simple molecules with central atoms. The as-demonstrated dynamic colloidal molecules have a configuration accurately controlled and stabilized by regulating the time-dependent intensity of UV light, which controls the stop-and-go motion of the colloidal molecules. The dynamic colloidal molecules are dissociated when the light irradiation is turned off due to the disappearance of light-switchable electrostatic interaction between the motor and the colloidal particles. The strategy for the assembly of dynamic colloidal molecules is applicable to various charged colloidal particles. The simulated optical properties of a dynamic colloidal molecule imply that the results here may provide a novel approach for in-place building functional microdevices, such as microlens arrays, in a swift and reversible manner.

Structure and Dynamics of Bimodal Colloidal Dispersions in a Low-Molecular-Weight Polymer Solution

We present an experimental study of the structural and dynamical properties of bimodal, micrometer-sized colloidal dispersions (size ratio ≈ 2) in an aqueous solution of low-molecular-weight polymer (polyethylene glycol 2000) using synchrotron ultra-small angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) and USAXS-based X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. We fixed the volume fraction of the large particles at 5% and systematically increased the volume fraction of the small particles from 0 to 5% to evaluate their effects on the structure and dynamics. The bimodal dispersions were homogenous through the investigated parameter space. We found that the partial structure factors can be satisfactorily retrieved for the bimodal colloidal dispersions using a Percus-Yevick hard-sphere potential when the size distributions of the particles were taken into account. We also found that the partial structure factor between the large particles did not exhibit a significant variation with increasing volume fraction of the small particles, whereas the isothermal compressibility of the binary mixture was found to decrease with increasing volume fraction of the small particles. The dynamics of single-component large-particle dispersion obey the principles of de Gennes narrowing, where the wave vector dependence of the interparticle diffusion coefficient is inversely proportional to the interparticle structure factor. The dynamics of the bimodal dispersions demonstrate a strong dependence on the fraction of small particles. We also made a comparison between the experimental effective dynamic viscosity of the bimodal dispersion with the theoretical predictions, which suggest that the complex mutual interactions between the large and small particles have a strong effect on the dynamic behaviors of bimodal dispersions.

Aggregation and deposition of in situ formed colloidal particles in the presence of polyelectrolytes

In this work, aggregation and deposition of in situ formed magnesium hydroxide (IFM) in the presence of hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) were investigated. Relative concentrations of interactants, as well as other experimental conditions, were changed to elucidate the interaction mechanisms from microscopic to macroscopic levels. Light scattering measurements were used to investigate the aggregation kinetics, fractal dimension, and collision efficiency of the aggregates on a microscopic level. Electrophoretic mobility and TEM were utilized to measure the charging properties and morphologies of aggregates, respectively. Adsorption and rheology experiments were performed to determine the deposition mechanism at higher concentrations of interactants on a macroscopic level. The results demonstrate that the initial rapid aggregation of IFM in the presence of HPAM is due to an electrostatic patch mechanism. In addition, the deposition was accelerated by flocculation with different mechanisms. When more IFM is involved, bridging flocculation dominates; when more HPAM is added, depletion flocculation plays a leading role. The results of this work may provide further insight into understanding the aggregation and deposition of in situ formed natural/engineered particles in the presence of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, as well as provide new possibilities for produced water treatment, biomedical applications, biomineralization, etc.

Improving the prediction of environmental fate of engineered nanomaterials by fractal modelling

A critical analysis of the available engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) environmental fate modelling approaches indicates that existing tools do not satisfactorily account for the complexities of nanoscale phenomena. Fractal modelling (FM) can complement existing kinetic fate models by including more accurate interpretations of shape and structure, density and collision efficiency parameters to better describe homo- and heteroaggregation. Pathways to including hierarchical symmetry concepts and a route to establishing a structural classification of nanomaterials based on FM are proposed.

Heteroaggregation of oppositely charged particles in the presence of multivalent ions

Time-resolved dynamic light scattering is used to measure absolute heteroaggregation rate coefficients and the corresponding stability ratios for heteroaggregation between amidine and sulfate charged latex particles.

Influence of calcium-induced droplet heteroaggregation on the physicochemical properties of oppositely charged lactoferrin coated lutein droplets and whey protein isolate-coated DHA droplets

The influence of calcium-induced droplet heteroaggregation on the formation and physicochemical stability of mixed lutein and DHA emulsions was studied.

Fractal-like structures in colloid science

The present work aims at reviewing our current understanding of fractal structures in the frame of colloid aggregation as well as the possibility they offer to produce novel structured materials. In particular, the existing techniques to measure and compute the fractal dimension df are critically discussed based on the cases of organic/inorganic particles and proteins. Then the aggregation conditions affecting df are thoroughly analyzed, pointing out the most recent literature findings and the limitations of our current understanding. Finally, the importance of the fractal dimension in applications is discussed along with possible directions for the production of new structured materials.

Kinetically guided colloidal structure formation

The self-organization of colloidal particles is a promising approach to create novel structures and materials, with applications spanning from smart materials to optoelectronics to quantum computation. However, designing and producing mesoscale-sized structures remains a major challenge because at length scales of 10-100 μm equilibration times already become prohibitively long. Here, we extend the principle of rapid diffusion-limited cluster aggregation (DLCA) to a multicomponent system of spherical colloidal particles to enable the rational design and production of finite-sized anisotropic structures on the mesoscale. In stark contrast to equilibrium self-assembly techniques, kinetic traps are not avoided but exploited to control and guide mesoscopic structure formation. To this end the affinities, size, and stoichiometry of up to five different types of DNA-coated microspheres are adjusted to kinetically control a higher-order hierarchical aggregation process in time. We show that the aggregation process can be fully rationalized by considering an extended analytical DLCA model, allowing us to produce mesoscopic structures of up to 26 µm in diameter. This scale-free approach can easily be extended to any multicomponent system that allows for multiple orthogonal interactions, thus yielding a high potential of facilitating novel materials with tailored plasmonic excitation bands, scattering, biochemical, or mechanical behavior.

Uniform distribution of graphene oxide sheets into a poly-vinylidene fluoride nanoparticle matrix through shear-driven aggregation

A general methodology has been developed for preparing nanocomposites with uniform, random distribution of fillers in polymer matrices, purely based on intense shear-driven aggregation, while avoiding filler aggregation. This procedure is demonstrated for a binary colloid composed of graphene oxide (GO) sheets and poly-vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanoparticles (NPs), both negatively charged and stable at rest. On the other hand, the PVDF NPs are shear-active (i.e. aggregation occurs under intensive shear), while the GO sheets are shear-inactive. It is found that when the two suspensions are mixed and the resulting binary colloid is forced to pass through a microchannel (MC) device (at a very high shear rate, G = 1.2 × 10(6) s(-1)), the shear-inactive GO sheets are captured and well distributed inside the PVDF NP clusters or gels. In addition, it is shown that in order to have 100% capture efficiency for the GO sheets, a minimum solid content of the binary colloid is required, which can be identified experimentally as the minimum leading to gelation after passing through the MC only one time.

Numerical study of cluster formation in binary charged colloids

Cluster formation of oppositely charged colloidal particles is studied numerically. A simple Brownian dynamics method with a screened-Coulomb (Yukawa) potential is employed for numerical simulations. An equilibrium phase which consists of clusters and unassociated particles is obtained. It is shown that the equilibrium association number of clusters and their shapes are determined by charge numbers and charge ratio of the binary particles. The phase diagram of cluster formation for various charge numbers and their ratios is obtained. A simple relation between the association number and the charge ratio is found. It is demonstrated that in the case of high charge ratio the cluster takes a multilayer structure which is highly symmetric. It is also pointed out that the cluster-particle interaction changes dynamically in the cluster formation process, which is involved in the selection of final cluster structure.

Shear-driven aggregation of binary colloids for randomly distributing nanoparticles in a matrix

We propose a methodology for preparing composite materials where A nanoparticles (NPs) are uniformly and randomly distributed inside a matrix of B NPs. It is based on intense shear-driven aggregation of binary colloids composed of A and B NPs, without using any additives. Its feasibility has been demonstrated using stable binary colloids composed of poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) particles and polystyrene (PS) particles. The PS particles alone undergo shear-driven aggregation (shear-active), while the PMMA particles alone do not exhibit any aggregation under the same conditions (shear-inactive). It is found that the shear-driven aggregation of the binary colloids does occur, and the formed clusters are composed of both the "shear-active" PS and "shear-inactive" PMMA particles. The SEM pictures demonstrate that the PMMA particles are uniformly and randomly distributed among the PS particles in the clusters, thus confirming the feasibility of the proposed methodology. The mechanism leading to the aggregation of the binary colloids has been discussed based on the experimental observations.

Aggregation of binary colloidal suspensions on attractive walls

The adsorption of colloidal particles from a suspension on a solid surface is of fundamental importance to many physical and biological systems. In this work, Brownian Dynamics simulations are performed to study the aggregation in a suspension of oppositely charged colloidal particles in the presence of an attractive wall. For sufficiently strong attractions, the wall alters the microstructure of the aggregates so that B2 (CsCl-type) structures are more likely obtained instead of B1 (NaCl-type) structures. The probability of forming either B1 or B2 crystallites depends also on the inverse interaction range κa. Suspensions with small κa are more likely to form B2 crystals than suspensions with larger κa, even if the energetic stability of the B2 phase decreases with decreasing κa. The mechanisms underlying this aggregation and crystallization behaviour are analyzed in detail.

Controlled Clustering in Binary Charged Colloids by Adsorption of Ionic Surfactants

We report on the controlled clustering of oppositely charged colloidal particles by the adsorption of ionic surfactants, which tunes charge numbers Z of particles. In particular, we studied the heteroclustering of submicron-sized polystyrene (PS) and silica particles, both of which are negatively charged, in the presence of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), a cationic surfactant. The surfactant concentration Csurf was selected below the critical micelle concentration. As CPC molecules were adsorbed, Z values of the PS and silica particles decreased, inverting to positive when Csurf exceeded the isoelectric point Ciep. Hydrophobic PS particles exhibited much lower Ciep than hydrophilic silica particles. At Csurf valuess between their Ciep values, the particles were oppositely charged, and clustering was enabled. To explain the clustering behavior, we investigated adsorption isotherms of the CPC and screened-Coulomb-type pair potential. Expected applications of the present findings are the control of colloidal associations and construction of various particle types into heterogeneous colloidal clusters.

Heteroaggregation of nanoparticles with biocolloids and geocolloids

The application of nanoparticles has raised concern over the safety of these materials to human health and the ecosystem. After release into an aquatic environment, nanoparticles are likely to experience heteroaggregation with biocolloids, geocolloids, natural organic matter (NOM) and other types of nanoparticles. Heteroaggregation is of vital importance for determining the fate and transport of nanoparticles in aqueous phase and sediments. In this article, we review the typical cases of heteroaggregation between nanoparticles and biocolloids and/or geocolloids, mechanisms, modeling, and important indicators used to determine heteroaggregation in aqueous phase. The major mechanisms of heteroaggregation include electric force, bridging, hydrogen bonding, and chemical bonding. The modeling of heteroaggregation typically considers DLVO, X-DLVO, and fractal dimension. The major indicators for studying heteroaggregation of nanoparticles include surface charge measurements, size measurements, observation of morphology of particles and aggregates, and heteroaggregation rate determination. In the end, we summarize the research challenges and perspective for the heteroaggregation of nanoparticles, such as the determination of αhetero values and heteroaggregation rates; more accurate analytical methods instead of DLS for heteroaggregation measurements; sensitive analytical techniques to measure low concentrations of nanoparticles in heteroaggregation systems; appropriate characterization of NOM at the molecular level to understand the structures and fractionation of NOM; effects of different types, concentrations, and fractions of NOM on the heteroaggregation of nanoparticles; the quantitative adsorption and desorption of NOM onto the surface of nanoparticles and heteroaggregates; and a better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms and modeling of heteroaggregation in natural water which is a complex system containing NOM, nanoparticles, biocolloids and geocolloids.

Stabilization of Pickering Emulsions with Oppositely Charged Latex Particles: Influence of Various Parameters and Particle Arrangement around Droplets

In this study we explore the fundamental aspects of Pickering emulsions stabilized by oppositely charged particles. Using oppositely charged latex particles as a model system, Pickering emulsions with good long-term stability can be obtained without the need for any electrolyte. The effects of parameters like oil to water ratio, mixed particle composition, and pH on emulsion type and stability are explored and linked to the behavior of the aqueous particle dispersion prior to emulsification. The particle composition is found to affect the formation of emulsions, viz., stable emulsions were obtained close to a particle number ratio of 1:1, and no emulsion was formed with either positively or negatively charged particles alone. The emulsions in particle mixtures exhibited phase inversion from oil-in-water to water-in-oil beyond an oil volume fraction of 0.8. Morphological features of emulsion droplets in terms of particle arrangement on the droplets are discussed.

A model for the prediction of droplet size in Pickering emulsions stabilized by oppositely charged particles

Colloidal particles irreversibly adsorb at fluid-fluid interfaces stabilizing what are commonly called "Pickering" emulsions and foams. A simple geometrical model, the limited coalescence model, was earlier proposed to estimate droplet sizes in emulsions. This model assumes that all of the particles are effective in stabilization. The model predicts that the average emulsion drop size scales inversely with the total number of particles, confirmed qualitatively with experimental data on Pickering emulsions. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in synthesizing emulsions with oppositely charged particles (OCPs). In our experimental study, we observed that the drop size varies nonmonotonically with the number ratio of oppositely charged colloids, even when a fixed total number concentration of colloids is used, showing a minimum. We develop a mathematical model to predict this dependence of drop size on number ratio in such a mixed particle system. The proposed model is based on the hypothesis that oppositely charged colloids form stable clusters due to the strong electrostatic attraction between them and that these clusters are the effective stabilizing agents. The proposed model is a two-parameter model, parameters being the ratio of effective charge of OCPs (denoted as k) and the size of the aggregate containing X particles formed due to aggregation of OCPs. Because the size of aggregates formed during emulsification is not directly measurable, we use suitable values of parameters k and X to best match the experimental observations. The model predictions are in qualitative agreement with experimentally observed nonmonotonic variation of droplet sizes. Using experiments and theory, we present a physical insight into the formation of OCP stabilized Pickering emulsions. Our model upgrades the existing Wiley's limited coalescence model as applied to emulsions containing a binary mixture of oppositely charged particles.

Colloidal beading: sonication-induced stringing of selenium particles

We report the preparation of monodispersed Se colloidal aggregates (dimers and trimers) via sonication-induced aggregation of spherical monomers. Control over the size and morphology of the products was achieved by changing the aging and sonication times, respectively. The possible mechanisms for the formation of colloidal aggregates were discussed. This method can provide a simple and versatile approach to the production of colloidal molecules of particles composed of different materials, which will be useful for fundamental studies related to colloidal systems.

Enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4/Zn2GeO4 heterojunctions with effective interfaces based on band match

Fabricating heterojunction photocatalysts is an important strategy for speeding up the separation rate of photogenerated charge carriers, which is attracting greater interest. However, the choice of three factors, individual materials, band offsets, and effective interfaces, is still important for fabricating efficient heterojunction photocatalysts. Herein, efficient g-C3N4/Zn2GeO4 photocatalysts with effective interfaces were designed by controlling the surface charges of the two individual materials inside the same aqueous dispersion medium, making use of the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged particles. The g-C3N4/Zn2GeO4 heterojunction with opposite surface charge (OSC) showed higher visible-light photocatalytic activity for degradation of methylene blue than those of pure g-C3N4, pure Zn2GeO4, and the g-C3N4/Zn2GeO4 with identical surface charge (ISC). The investigation of the light absorption spectrum, adsorption ability, and photocurrent responses revealed that the improved separation of photogenerated carriers was the main reason for the enhancement of the OSC g-C3N4/Zn2GeO4 sample's photocatalytic activity. By combining with theoretical calculations, we investigated the microscopic mechanisms of interface interaction and charge transfer between g-C3N4 and Zn2GeO4. The photogenerated electrons in the g-C3N4 N 2p states directly excited into the Zn 4s and Ge 4s hybrid states of Zn2GeO4. The strategy of designing and preparing a g-C3N4/Zn2GeO4 composite catalyst in this work is very useful for fabricating other efficient heterojunction photocatalysts.

Charged nanoparticles crystallizing and controlling crystallization: from coatings to nanoparticle surfactants to chemical amplifiers

Metal nanoparticles functionalized with self-assembled monolayers of ligands terminated in charged groups constitute a unique class of nanoscopic polyions – or “nanoions” in short – capable of assembling into higher-order structures.