Nanoparticle Separation Based on Size-Dependent Aggregation of Nanoparticles Due to the Critical Casimir Effect

Published

February 21, 2018

Author(s)

Hongyu NMN Guo, Gheorghe NMN Stan, Yun Liu

Abstract

Synthesis and purification of nanoparticles (NPs) with desirable sizes are crucial to the manufacture of nanomaterials and nanocomposites used in various technological applications including medicine, biology, health care, and energy. However, NPs typically have a wide size distribution that affects the performance and reliability of many nanomaterials. Even with the continual improvement of synthesis methods, purification and size-selective separation of NPs remain significant challenges. Here we conclusively demonstrate the effectiveness of a novel size-selective particle purification method based on the physical phenomenon of critical-Casimir-forces that induce reversible aggregations sensitive to the sizes of colloidal particles immersed in a solvent through the control of the temperature and solvent composition. Moreover, due to the universality of the involved critical phenomena, our method is generic for many colloidal particles and can be instrumental in tailoring their nanoscale properties and applications.

Citation

Soft Matter

Volume

14

Issue

8

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

nanotechnology, nanoparticles, purification, universality, critical phenomenon, critical Casimir forces

Citation

, H. , , G. and Liu, Y. (2018), Nanoparticle Separation Based on Size-Dependent Aggregation of Nanoparticles Due to the Critical Casimir Effect, Soft Matter, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=922397 (Accessed April 25, 2024)