Abstract
Silica nanoparticles with four circular surface patches made of polystyrene (PS) and arranged in a tetrahedral symmetry are synthesized through the multistep growth of the silica core of silica/PS tetrapods. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis studies indicate that, as the silica core regrows, its surface conforms to the shape of the polystyrene nodules, allowing good control of the size of the emerged fraction of these. Patches with an angular width as small as 49° were achieved, which is a prerequisite for their assembly in the form of a diamond crystal phase.
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Acknowledgments
STEM EDX experiments were performed at the Plateforme de Caractérisation des Matériaux (UMS 3626, Pessac, France).
Funding
This work was supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ENLARgER project, ANR-15-CE09-0010), the LabEx AMADEus (ANR-10-LABX-42) and IdEx Bordeaux (ANR-10-IDEX-03-02), that is, the Investissements d’Avenir programme of the French government. R. Khalaf thanks the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation and Campus France for her PhD grant.
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Rouet, PE., Khalaf, R., Exiga, S. et al. Synthesis of tetrahedral patchy nanoparticles with controlled patch size. J Nanopart Res 22, 337 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-05060-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-05060-w