Acoustic excitations in suspensions of soft colloids

Recognition of sounds by ensembles of proteinoids

Proteinoids are artificial polymers that imitate certain characteristics of natural proteins, including self-organization, catalytic activity, and responsiveness to external stimuli. This paper examines the acoustic response properties of proteinoids microspheres when exposed to auditory stimuli. We convert sounds of English alphabet into waveforms of electrical potential, feed the waveforms into proteinoid solutions and record electrical responses of the proteinoids. We also undertake a detailed comparison of proteinoids' electrical responses (frequencies, periods, and amplitudes) with original input signals. We found that responses of proteinoids are less regular, lower dominant frequency, wider distribution of proteinoids and less skewed distribution of amplitudes compared with input signals. We found that resonant acoustic excitation of proteinoids generates unique electrical impulse patterns dependent on sound frequency and amplitude. The finding will be used in further designs of organic electronic devices, based on ensembles of proteinoids, for sound processing and speech recognition. Our findings provide the first quantitative investigation into the potential of thermal proteinoid microspheres for bio-inspired sound processing and recognition applications. Using controlled speaker excitation on proteinoid samples, we create reliable markers of productive acoustic response capacities, paving the way for future advancement.

Altering Terahertz Sound Propagation in a Liquid upon Nanoparticle Immersion

One of the grand challenges of new generation Condensed Matter physicists is the development of novel devices enabling the control of sound propagation at terahertz frequency. Indeed, phonon excitations in this frequency window are the leading conveyor of heat transfer in insulators. Their manipulation is thus critical to implementing heat management based on the structural design. To explore the possibility of controlling the damping of sound waves, we used high spectral contrast Inelastic X-ray Scattering (IXS) to comparatively study terahertz acoustic damping in a dilute suspension of 50 nm nanospheres in glycerol and on pure glycerol. Bayesian inference-based modeling of measured spectra indicates that, at sufficiently large distances, the spectral contribution of collective modes in the glycerol suspension becomes barely detectable due to the enhanced damping, the weakening, and the slight softening of the dominant acoustic mode.

Quantization of Acoustic Modes in Dumbbell Nanoparticles

The vibrational eigenmodes of dumbbell-shaped polystyrene nanoparticles are recorded by Brillouin light spectroscopy (BLS), and the full experimental spectra are calculated theoretically. Different from spheres with a degeneracy of (2l+1), with l being the angular momentum quantum number, the eigenmodes of dumbbells are either singly or doubly degenerate owing to their axial symmetry. The BLS spectrum reveals a new, low-frequency peak, which is attributed to the out-of-phase vibration of the two lobes of the dumbbell. The quantization of acoustic modes in these molecule-shaped dumbbell particles evolves from the primary colloidal spheres as the separation between the two lobes increases.

Controlling terahertz sound propagation: some preliminary Inelastic X-Ray Scattering result

The control of sound propagation in materials via the design of their elastic properties is an exciting task at the forefront of Condensed Matter. It becomes especially compelling at terahertz frequencies, where phonons are the primary conveyors of heat flow. Despite the increasing focus on this goal, this field of research is still in its infancy; To achieve a few advances in this field, we performed several Inelastic X-Ray Scattering (IXS) measurements on elementary systems as dilute suspensions of nanoparticles (NPs) in liquids. We found that nanoparticles can effectively impact the sound propagation of the hosting liquid. We also explored the possibility of shaping terahertz sound propagation in a liquid upon confinement on quasi-unidimensional cavities. These results are here reviewed and discussed, and future research directions are finally outlined.

Influence of Surfactant-Mediated Interparticle Contacts on the Mechanical Stability of Supraparticles

Colloidal supraparticles are micron-scale spherical assemblies of uniform primary particles, which exhibit emergent properties of a colloidal crystal, yet exist as a dispersible powder. A prerequisite to utilize these emergent functionalities is that the supraparticles maintain their mechanical integrity upon the mechanical impacts that are likely to occur during processing. Understanding how the internal structure relates to the resultant mechanical properties of a supraparticle is therefore of general interest. Here, we take the example of supraparticles templated from water/fluorinated oil emulsions in droplet-based microfluidics and explore the effect of surfactants on their mechanical properties. Stable emulsions can be generated by nonionic block copolymers consisting of a hydrophilic and fluorophilic block and anionic fluorosurfactants widely available under the brand name Krytox. The supraparticles formed in the presence of both types of surfactants appear structurally similar, but differ greatly in their mechanical properties. While the nonionic surfactant induces superior mechanical stability and ductile fracture behavior, the anionic Krytox surfactant leads to weak supraparticles with brittle fracture. We complement this macroscopic picture with Brillouin light spectroscopy that is very sensitive to the interparticle contacts for subnanometer-thick adsorbed layers atop of the nanoparticle. While the anionic Krytox does not significantly affect the interparticle bonds, the amphiphilic nonionic surfactant drastically strengthens these bonds to the point that individual particle vibrations are not resolved in the experimental spectrum. Our results demonstrate that seemingly subtle changes in the physicochemical properties of supraparticles can drastically impact the resultant mechanical properties.

The damping of terahertz acoustic modes in aqueous nanoparticle suspensions

In this work, we investigate the possibility of controlling the acoustic damping in a liquid when nanoparticles are suspended in it. To shed light on this topic, we performed Inelastic X-Ray Scattering (IXS) measurements of the terahertz collective dynamics of aqueous suspensions of nanospheres of various materials, size, and relative concentration, either charged or neutral. A Bayesian analysis of measured spectra indicates that the damping of the two acoustic modes of water increases upon nanoparticle immersion. This effect seems particularly pronounced for the longitudinal acoustic mode, which, whenever visible at all, rapidly damps off when increasing the exchanged wavevector. Results also indicate that the observed effect strongly depends on the material the immersed nanoparticles are made of.

Stimulated boson-peak light scattering in an aqueous suspension of spherical nanoparticles of amorphous SiO2 of similar sizes

A forward-directed high-efficiency stimulated inelastic light scattering was detected in an aqueous suspension of spherical nanoparticles (nanoballs) of amorphous SiO2 of similar sizes (0.25 μm) with a concentration of 1013 cm-3. In the stimulated scattering spectrum, there was an intense forward directed Stokes component with a frequency shift of 0.54 cm-1, corresponding to the boson peak mode of spherical nanoparticles. The results obtained are of interest for non-equilibrium excitation of spherical particles of similar sizes of different nature present in liquids (clusters, fullerenes, spherical macromolecules, viruses, etc.).

Onset of interfacial waves in the terahertz spectrum of a nanoparticle suspension

We used inelastic x-ray scattering to gain insight into the complex terahertz dynamics of a diluted Au-nanoparticle suspension in glycerol. We observe that, albeit sparse, Au nanoparticles leave clear signatures on the dynamic response of the system, the main one being an additional mode propagating at the nanoparticle-glycerol interface. A Bayesian inferential analysis of the line shape reveals that such a mode, at variance with conventional acoustic modes, keeps a hydrodynamiclike behavior well beyond the continuous limit and down to subnanometer distances.

The Terahertz Dynamics of an Aqueous Nanoparticle Suspension: An Inelastic X-ray Scattering Study

We used the high-resolution Inelastic X-ray Scattering beamline of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory to measure the terahertz spectrum of pure water and a dilute aqueous suspension of 15 nm diameter spherical Au nanoparticles (Au-NPs). We observe that, despite their sparse volume concentration of about 0.5%, the immersed NPs strongly influence the collective molecular dynamics of the hosting liquid. We investigate this effect through a Bayesian inference analysis of the spectral lineshape, which elucidates how terahertz transport properties of water change upon Au-NP immersion. In particular, we observe a nearly complete disappearance of the longitudinal acoustic mode and a mildly decreased ability to support shear wave propagation.

Direct observation of polymer surface mobility via nanoparticle vibrations

Measuring polymer surface dynamics remains a formidable challenge of critical importance to applications ranging from pressure-sensitive adhesives to nanopatterning, where interfacial mobility is key to performance. Here, we introduce a methodology of Brillouin light spectroscopy to reveal polymer surface mobility via nanoparticle vibrations. By measuring the temperature-dependent vibrational modes of polystyrene nanoparticles, we identify the glass-transition temperature and calculate the elastic modulus of individual nanoparticles as a function of particle size and chemistry. Evidence of surface mobility is inferred from the first observation of a softening temperature, where the temperature dependence of the fundamental vibrational frequency of the nanoparticles reverses slope below the glass-transition temperature. Beyond the fundamental vibrational modes given by the shape and elasticity of the nanoparticles, another mode, termed the interaction-induced mode, was found to be related to the active particle-particle adhesion and dependent on the thermal behavior of nanoparticles.

Role of Polymer Graft Architecture on the Acoustic Eigenmode Formation in Densely Polymer-Tethered Colloidal Particles

The concurrent evaluation of the vibration eigenfrequencies in densely polymer-tethered particle systems ("particle brushes") by Brillouin light scattering and elastodynamic theory reveals a distinctive change of acoustic eigenmode formation associated with polymer graft modification of colloidal particles. The eigenfrequencies of particle brushes reveal a characteristic red-shift compared to uniform core-shell particles that can only be rationalized by assuming imperfect boundary conditions and anisotropic elastic properties of the graft layer. The distinct characteristics of vibration modes in particle brush materials provide direct evidence for the implications of chain confinement on the nanomechanical properties of tethered chains. The results highlight a rich and hitherto unexplored parameter-space for controlling properties and interactions in particle-brush based systems that could spur the development of hybrid materials with novel functionalities.

Collective hypersonic excitations in strongly multiple scattering colloids

Unprecedented low-dispersion high-frequency acoustic excitations are observed in dense suspensions of elastically hard colloids. The experimental phononic band structure for SiO(2) particles with different sizes and volume fractions is well represented by rigorous full-elastodynamic multiple-scattering calculations. The slow phonons, which do not relate to particle resonances, are localized in the surrounding liquid medium and stem from coherent multiple scattering that becomes strong in the close-packing regime. Such rich phonon-matter interactions in nanostructures, being still unexplored, can open new opportunities in phononics.

Elastic waves in arrays of elliptic inclusions

We consider in-plane elastic waves propagating through a doubly periodic array of cylinders of Tantalum (with both circular and elliptical cross-sections) which are embedded in a matrix of fused silica. We find some sonic gap for fairly small filling fractions of the cylinders which eventually vanish in the limit of high-filling fraction. In the case of a doubly periodic array of elliptical cylinders, removal of a cylinder within a macro-cell leads to two localised eigenstates.

The "music" of core-shell spheres and hollow capsules: influence of the architecture on the mechanical properties at the nanoscale

We report on the first measurement of elastic vibrational modes in core-shell spheres (silica-poly(methyl methacrylate), SiO2-PMMA) and corresponding spherical hollow capsules (PMMA) with different particle size and shell thickness using Brillouin light scattering, supported by numerical calculations. These localized modes allow access to the mechanical moduli down to a few tens of nanometers. We observe reduced mechanical strength of the porous silica core, and for the core-shell spheres a striking increase of the moduli in both the SiO2 core and the PMMA shell. The peculiar behavior of the vibrational modes in the hollow capsules is attributed to antagonistic dependence on overall size and layer thickness in agreement with theoretical predictions.

Simultaneous occurrence of structure-directed and particle-resonance-induced phononic gaps in colloidal films

We report on the observation of two hypersonic phononic gaps of different nature in three-dimensional colloidal films of nanospheres using Brillouin light scattering. One is a Bragg gap occurring at the edge of the first Brillouin zone along a high-symmetry crystal direction. The other is a hybridization gap in crystalline and amorphous films, originating from the interaction of the band of quadrupole particle eigenmodes with the acoustic effective-medium band, and its frequency position compares well with the computed lowest eigenfrequency. Structural disorder eliminates the Bragg gap, while the hybridization gap is robust.

Higher order asymptotic homogenization and wave propagation in periodic composite materials

We present an application of the higher order asymptotic homogenization method (AHM) to the study of wave dispersion in periodic composite materials. When the wavelength of a travelling signal becomes comparable with the size of heterogeneities, successive reflections and refractions of the waves at the component interfaces lead to the formation of a complicated sequence of the pass and stop frequency bands. Application of the AHM provides a long-wave approximation valid in the low-frequency range. Solution for the high frequencies is obtained on the basis of the Floquet–Bloch approach by expanding spatially varying properties of a composite medium in a Fourier series and representing unknown displacement fields by infinite plane-wave expansions. Steady-state elastic longitudinal waves in a composite rod (one-dimensional problem allowing the exact analytical solution) and transverse anti-plane shear waves in a fibre-reinforced composite with a square lattice of cylindrical inclusions (two-dimensional problem) are considered. The dispersion curves are obtained, the pass and stop frequency bands are identified.

Hypersonic acoustic excitations in binary colloidal crystals: big versus small hard sphere control

The phononic band structure of two binary colloidal crystals, at hypersonic frequencies, is studied by means of Brillouin light scattering and analyzed in conjunction with corresponding dispersion diagrams of the single colloidal crystals of the constituent particles. Besides the acoustic band of the average medium, the authors' results show the existence of narrow bands originating from resonant multipole modes of the individual particles as well as Bragg-type modes due to the (short-range) periodicity. Strong interaction, leading to the occurrence of hybridization gaps, is observed between the acoustic band and the band of quadrupole modes of the particles that occupy the largest fractional volume of the mixed crystal; the effective radius is either that of the large (in the symmetric NaCl-type crystalline phase) or the small (in the asymmetric NaZn(13)-type crystalline phase) particles. The possibility to reveal a universal behavior of the phononic band structure for different single and binary colloidal crystalline suspensions, by representing in the dispersion diagrams reduced quantities using an appropriate length scale, is discussed.

Mechanical strength of amorphous CaCO3 colloidal spheres

Amorphous glassy CaCO3 colloidal spheres of monomodal size distribution were studied by high-resolution Brillouin light scattering. The Young modulus of 37 GPa and shear modulus of 14 GPa of glassy CaCO3 at a density of 1.9 g/cm3 were extracted from the particle vibration frequencies by employing acoustic wave scattering cross-section calculations. The line shape of the low-frequency modes is a sensitive index of the particle polydispersity.

Phonons in suspensions of hard sphere colloids: Volume fraction dependence

The propagation of sound waves in suspensions of hard sphere colloids is studied as a function of their volume fraction up to random close packing using Brillouin light scattering. The rich experimental phonon spectra of up to five phonon modes are successfully described by theoretical calculations based on the multiple scattering method. Two main types of phonon modes are revealed: Type A modes are acoustic excitations which set up deformations in both the solid (particles) and the liquid (solvent) phases; for type B modes the stress and strain are predominantly localized near the interface between the solid particles and the surrounding liquid (interface waves). While the former become harder (increase their effective sound velocity) as the particle volume fraction increases the latter become softer (the corresponding sound velocity decreases).

Acoustic excitations in a self-assembled block copolymer photonic crystal

High resolution Brillouin light scattering can sensitively detect acoustic phonons in concentrated solutions of a high molecular weight poly(styrene-b-isoprene) symmetric copolymer in toluene. This block copolymer lamellar forming system also possesses a photonic stop band in the visible spectrum. Based on the low but finite contrast in mechanical properties between the styrene and isoprene components and taking into account the geometrical characteristics of the layered microstructure, we calculate the acoustic band structure and represent the observed acousticlike and opticlike phonons.