화학공학소재연구정보센터
Chemistry Letters, Vol.48, No.11, 1319-1321, 2019
Crystallization of Microgel Colloids Due to Depletion Attraction
We report that submicron-sized, N-isopropyl acrylamide/acrylamide copolymer microgel particles crystallized in dilute aqueous solutions of poly(acrylamide) linear polymers, because of depletion interaction acting between the particles. The crystal size increased on decreasing polymer concentrations C-p above the crystallization phase boundary. The Bragg wavelengths of the crystals were lower at higher C-p, which appeared to be due to shrinkage and/or deformation of the soft microgel particles by the interparticle depletion attraction.