Designing Colloidal Molecules with Microfluidics

Bingqing Shen (1) , Joshua Ricouvier (1) , Florent Malloggi (2) , Patrick Tabeling (1)

1 Gulliver (UMR 7083)
2 LIONS - Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire sur l'Organisation Nanométrique et Supramoléculaire

The creation of new colloidal materials involves the design of functional building blocks. Here, a microfl uidic method for designing building blocks one by one, at high throughput, with a broad range of shapes is introduced. The method exploits a coupling between hydrodynamic interactions and depletion forces that controls the confi gurational dynamics of droplet clusters traveling in microfl uidic channels. Droplet clusters can be solidifi ed in situ with UV. By varying the fl ow parameters, clusters are prescribed a given size, geometry, chemical and/or magnetic heterogeneities enabling local bonding. Compact structures (chains, triangles, diamonds, tetrahedrons,...) and non-compact structures, such as crosses and T, diffi cult to obtain with current techniques are produced. Size dispersions are small (2%) and throughputs are high (30 000 h −1). The work opens a new pathway, based on microfl uidics, for designing colloidal building blocks with a potential to enable the creation of new materials.

Mots clés: building blocks; colloidal molecules; high throughput; microfluidics; self-assembly

Domaines: Matériaux

Bingqing Shen, Joshua Ricouvier, Florent Malloggi, Patrick Tabeling. Designing Colloidal Molecules with Microfluidics. Advanced Science, 2016, 3, pp.1600012. ⟨10.1002/advs.201600012⟩. ⟨cea-01338144⟩