Colloidal self-assembly at an interface
From Soft-Matter
Edited by Qichao Hu
September 19th, 2010
reference: [1]
It has been well known that colloidal particles can form at the interfaces between liquids. This phenomenon can be used to self-assemble colloidal particles and ultimately to synthesize new materials.
The colloidal particles' ability to bind to liquid and stabilize emulsion is guided by the need to minimize interfacial energy. When a particle moves from a liquid to a liquid-liquid interface, the change in free energy is
<math>\Delta G=-\pi R^2\gamma_{OW} (1-\cos\theta_C)^2</math>
where <math>R</math> is the particle radius, <math>\gamma_{OW}</math> is the energy per unit area of the liquid-liquid interface, and <math>\theta_C</math> is the contact angle.
