Issue 2, 2008
From the journal:

Soft Matter

New insights into the nucleation and growth of PS nodules on silicananoparticles by 3D cryo-electron tomography

Jean-Christophe Taveau,a   David Nguyen,bc   Adeline Perro,bc   Serge Ravaine,c   Etienne Duguetb  and  Olivier Lambert*a  

* Corresponding authors

a Molecular Imaging and Nano-Bio-Technology, IECB, UMR-CNRS 5248, Université Bordeaux-1, 2 rue Robert Escarpit, Pessac, France
E-mail: o.lambert@iecb.u-bordeaux.fr
Fax: +33 540 003 484
Tel: +33 540 003 490

b ICMCB, CNRS, Université Bordeaux-1, 87 avenue du Dr Albert Schweitzer, Pessac Cedex, France
E-mail: duguet@icmcb-bordeaux.cnrs.fr
Fax: +33 540 002 761
Tel: +33 540 002 651

c Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, Avenue du Dr Albert Schweitzer, Pessac, France
E-mail: ravaine@crpp-bordeaux.cnrs.fr
Fax: +33 556 845 600
Tel: +33 556 845 667

Abstract

The nucleation and growth of polystyrene (PS) nodules on 170 nm silica seeds under emulsion-polymerization conditions have been investigated for the first time by cryo-electron tomography. 3D arrangements were reconstructed from samples collected at several polymerization times (from 5 to 120 min). Early samples display the presence of small PS nodules bound to silica particles in a random distribution. For longer polymerization times, the number of PS nodules per silica seed decreases leading to octopod-like morphologies. The tomographic method allowed us to measure the contact angle that the growing PS nodules form with the silica bead surface. The average value of 142.4° remains constant over all of the observed period of the polymerization reaction. This contact angle appeared to be one of the key parameters for controlling the morphology of PS–silica biphasic particles.

Graphical abstract: New insights into the nucleation and growth of PS nodules on silica nanoparticles by 3D cryo-electron tomography

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/B710137F
Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Jul 2007
Accepted
01 Nov 2007
First published
19 Nov 2007

Soft Matter, 2008,4, 311-315

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New insights into the nucleation and growth of PS nodules on silica nanoparticles by 3D cryo-electron tomography

J. Taveau, D. Nguyen, A. Perro, S. Ravaine, E. Duguet and O. Lambert, Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 311 DOI: 10.1039/B710137F

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