The dispersion of nanoparticles in a polymer matrix has been proven a challenge. A recent experiment reveals that it can be controlled by the relative size of nanoparticle/matrix polymer instead of their compatibility. Dissipative particle dynamics simulations are thus employed to investigate self-assembly of organophilic nanoparticles and dispersion of organophobic nanoparticles. The degree of aggregation in terms of the mean aggregation number is evaluated to explore the aggregation kinetics of nanocubes and nanoplatelets. The influence of the length of the matrix polymer on the aggregation behavior is studied as well. It is found that the depletion attraction plays the major role for the aggregation of organophilic nanoparticles. Large nanoplatelets prefer clustering, while small nanoplatelets tend to disperse because the depletion attraction grows with the face area of nanoparticles. On the other hand, the slow aggregation kinetics, hindered by the energy barrier associated with depletion interactions and low nanoparticle diffusivity, is responsible for the low degree of aggregation for organophobic nanoparticles.
Zeolites are strongly
hydrophilic materials that are widely used
as water adsorbents. They are also promising candidates for antifogging
coatings; however, researchers have yet to devise a suitable method
for coating glass substrates with zeolite-based films. Here, we report
on a direct wet deposition technique that is capable of casting zeolite
films on glass substrates without exposing the glass to highly basic
solutions or the vapors used in zeolite synthesis. We began by preparing
cast solutions of pure silica zeolite MFI synthesized in hydrothermal
reactions of various durations. The solutions were then applied to
glass substrates via spin-on deposition to form zeolite films. The
resulting zeolite MFI thin films were characterized in terms of transmittance
to visible light, surface topography, thin film morphology, and crystallinity.
Wetting and antifogging properties were also probed. We found that
hydrophilicity and antifogging capability increased with the degree
of thin film crystallinity. We also determined that the presence of
the amorphous silica in the thin films is critical to transparency.
Fabricating high-performance zeolite-based antifogging coatings requires
an appropriate composition of zeolite crystals and amorphous silica.
Directly
writing 3D structures into supporting mediums is a relatively
new developing technology in additive manufacturing. In this work,
durable and recyclable liquid-like solid (LLS) materials are developed
as supporting mediums that are stable for both UV and thermal solidification.
Our LLS material is comprised of densely packed oil droplets in a
continuous aqueous medium, known as emulsion glass. Its elastic nature
emerges from the jammed structure of oil droplets, which offers this
LLS material rapidly self-healing ability. Moreover, the yield stress
of the glass is relatively low and can be tuned by the viscosity and
weight percentage of oil. The capability of the emulsion glass as
supporting mediums is successfully demonstrated by directly writing
and then curing designed structures. The emulsion glass has been repeatedly
used at least 6 times upon exposure to UV irradiation and heat, implying
it can expand the applications of supporting medium to the writing
process involving UV- and thermal-curable inks simultaneously.
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