Self-assembled tunable networks of sticky colloidal particles

• Main Authors: Aronson Igor S, Snezhko Oleksiy (Alexey), Sapozhnikov Maksim, Proslier Thomas, Becker Nicholas G, Demortiere Arnaud
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 18.07.2017
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; NANOTECHNOLOGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

Self-assembled tunable networks of microscopic polymer fibers ranging from wavy colloidal "fur" to highly interconnected networks are created from polymer systems and an applied electric field. The networks emerge via dynamic self-assembly in an alternating (ac) electric field from a non-aqueous suspension of "sticky" polymeric colloidal particles with a controlled degree of polymerization. The resulting architectures are tuned by the frequency and amplitude of the electric field and surface properties of the particles.