Directed Self-Assembly of Micro- and Nanoparticles

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "D:Materials and Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2022) | Viewed by 3343

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Interests: colloids; microfluidics; self- and directed assembly; additive manufacturing/3D printing; functional materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Interactions between micro- and nanoparticles (e.g., electrostatics, van der Waals, steric, and depletion) are responsible for the self-assembly of microstructures such as crystals or gels. Experimental and simulation studies of assembly processes have yielded insight into the thermodynamic pathways required to overcome kinetic barriers and achieve specific equilibrium phases. The fundamental understanding provided by these studies can be used to create structures for materials applications, such as additive manufacturing, catalysis, and photonics. However, self-assembly is limited by the diffusion rate of the constituent particles, making it difficult to scale up self-assembly for some of these materials applications.

The aim of this Special Issue is to survey the use of external fields for the directed self-assembly of micro- and nanoparticles. Examples of external fields include shear, electric, magnetic, optical, and gravitational interactions. Applying external fields significantly reduces the time it takes to assemble microstructures, enabling the creation of new materials for consumer or industrial applications. Full papers, communications, and reviews discussing any fundamental or practical aspect of directed self-assembly of micro- and nanoparticles are invited for inclusion in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Jaime Javier Juárez
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • colloids
  • self-assembly
  • external fields
  • nucleation
  • microfluidics
  • colloidal microstructures
  • attractive forces

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 4197 KiB  
Article
Preparation of Fe3O4@PDA@Au@GO Composite as SERS Substrate and Its Application in the Enrichment and Detection for Phenanthrene
by Junyu Liu, Yiwei Liu, Yida Cao, Shihua Sang, Liang Guan, Yinyin Wang and Jian Wang
Micromachines 2022, 13(1), 128; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13010128 - 14 Jan 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2780
Abstract
In this study, highly active Fe3O4@PDA@Au@GO surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) active substrate was synthesized for application in the enrichment and detection of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment. The morphology and structure were characterized by transmission electron [...] Read more.
In this study, highly active Fe3O4@PDA@Au@GO surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) active substrate was synthesized for application in the enrichment and detection of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment. The morphology and structure were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV–visible absorption spectrum (UV–vis spectra). The effect of each component of Fe3O4@PDA@Au@GO nanocomposites on SERS was explored, and it was found that gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) are crucial to enhance the Raman signal based on the electromagnetic enhancement mechanism, and apart from enriching the PAHs through π–π interaction, graphene oxide (GO) also generates strong chemical enhancement of Raman signals, and polydopamine (PDA) can prevent Au from shedding and agglomeration. The existence of Fe3O4 aided the quick separation of substrate from the solutions, which greatly simplified the detection procedure and facilitated the reuse of the substrate. The SERS active substrate was used to detect phenanthrene in aqueous solution with a detection limit of 10−7 g/L (5.6 × 10−10 mol/L), which is much lower than that of ordinary Raman, it is promising for application in the enrichment and detection of trace PAHs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Directed Self-Assembly of Micro- and Nanoparticles)
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