Abstract
Colloidal assembly at fluid interfaces has a great potential for the bottom-up fabrication of novel structured materials. However, challenges remain in realizing controllable and tunable assembly of particles into diverse structures. Herein, the capillary assembly of magnetic ellipsoidal Janus particles at a fluid-fluid interface is reported. Depending on their tilt angle, that is, the angle the particle main axis forms with the fluid interface, these particles deform the interface and generate capillary dipoles or hexapoles. Driven by capillary interactions, multiple particles thus assemble into chain-, hexagonal-lattice-, and ring-like structures, which can be actively controlled by applying an external magnetic field. A field-strength phase diagram is predicted in which various structures are present as stable states. Owing to the diversity, controllability, and tunability of assembled structures, magnetic ellipsoidal Janus particles at fluid interfaces could therefore serve as versatile building blocks for novelmaterials.
Highlights
Colloidal assembly at fluid interfaces has a great potential for the bottom-up fabrication of novel structured materials
Colloidal particles strongly attach at a fluid–fluid interface[5] and deform the interface due to their weight, anisotropic shape and roughness.[6,7,8,9]
If neighboring particles generate deformations of the Driven by capillary interactions, multiple particles assemble into chain, interface that overlap, capillary interachexagonal-lattice, and ring-like structures, which can be actively controlled tions arise which drive the particles to by applying an external magnetic field
Summary
Colloidal assembly at fluid interfaces has a great potential for the bottom-up fabrication of novel structured materials.
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