Assembly of highly ordered 2D arrays of silver-PNIPAM hybrid microgels

Weng, JY (Weng, Jun-ying)^[ 1,2 ] ; Tang, Z (Tang, Zhuo)^[ 1,2 ] ; Guan, Y (Guan, Ying)^[ 1,2 ] ; Zhu, XX (Zhu, X. X.)^[ 3 ] ; Zhang, YJ (Zhang, Yong-jun)^[ 1,2 ]

CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE, 2017, 35(10): 1212-1221 特刊: SI

DOI: 10.1007/s10118-017-1962-1

 WOS:000408685200004

Abstract

A strategy was developed for the synthesis of highly ordered 2D arrays of Ag-PNIPAM hybrid microgel. The highly ordered 2D arrays of PNIPAM microgel were prepared by dispersing PNIPAM microgel on a charge-reversible substrate. The microgel spheres self-assembled into a 3D colloidal crystal, and the first 111 plane was fixed in situ onto the substrate as a result of spontaneous charge reversal of the substrate, leaving a high-quality 2D array of PNIPAM microgel. Ag nanoparticles were then synthesized in situ inside the microgel spheres by introduction of Ag+ ions into the microgel spheres and reduction with sodium borohydride. The resulting 2D arrays are highly ordered. The inter-particle distance in the array can be tuned. In addition, the method allows the synthesis of large size arrays and the use of nonplanar substrate.