Loughborough University
Browse
Tinkler et al. Manuscript JCIS (Final).pdf (1.98 MB)

Evaporation-driven self-assembly of binary and ternary colloidal polymer nanocomposites for abrasion resistant applications

Download (1.98 MB)
journal contribution
posted on 2020-09-04, 09:22 authored by James Tinkler, Alberto Scacchi, Harsh R. Kothari, Hanna Tulliver, Maialen Argaiz, Andrew ArcherAndrew Archer, Nacho Martin-Fabiani-CarratoNacho Martin-Fabiani-Carrato
We harness the self-assembly of aqueous binary latex/silica particle blends during drying to fabricate films segregated by size in the vertical direction. We report for the first time the experimental drying of ternary colloidal dispersions and demonstrate how a ternary film containing additional small latex particles results in improved surface stability and abrasion resistance compared with a binary film. Through atomic force microscopy (AFM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), we show that the vertical distribution of filler particles and the surface morphologies of the films can be controlled by altering the evaporation rate and silica volume fraction. We report the formation of various silica superstructures at the film surface, which we attribute to a combination of diffusiophoresis and electrostatic interactions between particles. Brownian dynamics simulations of the final stages of solvent evaporation provide further evidence for this formation mechanism. We show how an additional small latex particle population results in an increased abrasion resistance of the film without altering its morphology or hardness. Our work provides a method to produce water-based coatings with enhanced abrasion resistance as well as valuable insights into the mechanisms behind the formation of colloidal superstructures.

Funding

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) DTP studentship (Grant number: EP/R513088/1).

Swiss National Science Foundation grant number P2FRP2_181453.

History

School

  • Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering
  • Science

Department

  • Materials
  • Mathematical Sciences

Published in

Journal of Colloid and Interface Science

Volume

581

Issue

Part B

Pages

729 - 740

Publisher

Elsevier

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Rights holder

© Elsevier Inc.

Publisher statement

This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Journal of Colloid and Interface Science and the definitive published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2020.08.001.

Acceptance date

2020-08-01

Publication date

2020-08-03

Copyright date

2020

ISSN

0021-9797

eISSN

1095-7103

Language

  • en

Depositor

Dr Nacho Martin-Fabiani Carrato. Deposit date: 1 September 2020

Usage metrics

    Loughborough Publications

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC