Advances in Janus Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanocomposite Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2020) | Viewed by 17702

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Polymers Composites and Hybrids (PCH), IMT Mines Ales, Ales, France
Interests: nanocomposites based on polymer blends; nanoparticles; localization; selective dispersion; multifunctionality; double percolation; mechanical properties; thermal properties; fire properties; electrical conductivity; thermal conductivity
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Guest Editor
IMT Mines Alès, C2MA, Univ Montpellier, 30319 Ales, France
Interests: chemical modification of nanoparticles and natural fibers; (bio)(nano)composites; fire behavior

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Janus nanoparticles have attracted increasing attention in the past two decades in the field of nanoscience due to their interesting properties, for academic as well as for technological reasons. Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) are defined as amphiphilic colloid-sized particles with two regions of different surface chemical composition. Due to their anisotropic architecture, these objects have been used successfully for catalytic or sensing applications, to stabilize Pickering emulsions and for drug delivery or regenerative medicine. More recently, JNPs were used as a compatibilizer for immiscible polymer blends. There are still remaining questions regarding their synthesis and their potential applications. One main issue is the synthesis of JNPs with the ability to control their geometry and surface chemistry and to scale up their production at an industrial scale. Another issue is to characterize their role as a compatibilizer in polymer blends and to evaluate the influence of their interfacial localization for composites final properties.

Dr. Aurélie Taguet
Dr. Belkacem Otazaghine
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Janus nanoparticles
  • anisotropic functionalization
  • self-assembling
  • nanostructures
  • compatibilization
  • interface localization
  • microstructure
  • polymer blends

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4499 KiB  
Article
Highly Sensitive Gas Sensing Material for Environmentally Toxic Gases Based on Janus NbSeTe Monolayer
by Deobrat Singh and Rajeev Ahuja
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(12), 2554; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10122554 - 19 Dec 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3540
Abstract
Recently, a new family of the Janus NbSeTe monolayer has exciting development prospects for two-dimensional (2D) asymmetric layered materials that demonstrate outstanding properties for high-performance nanoelectronics and optoelectronics applications. Motivated by the fascinating properties of the Janus monolayer, we have studied the gas [...] Read more.
Recently, a new family of the Janus NbSeTe monolayer has exciting development prospects for two-dimensional (2D) asymmetric layered materials that demonstrate outstanding properties for high-performance nanoelectronics and optoelectronics applications. Motivated by the fascinating properties of the Janus monolayer, we have studied the gas sensing properties of the Janus NbSeTe monolayer for CO, CO2, NO, NO2, H2S, and SO2 gas molecules using first-principles calculations that will have eminent application in the field of personal security, protection of the environment, and various other industries. We have calculated the adsorption energies and sensing height from the Janus NbSeTe monolayer surface to the gas molecules to detect the binding strength for these considered toxic gases. In addition, considerable charge transfer between Janus monolayer and gas molecules were calculated to confirm the detection of toxic gases. Due to the presence of asymmetric structures of the Janus NbSeTe monolayer, the projected density of states, charge transfer, binding strength, and transport properties displayed distinct behavior when these toxic gases absorbed at Se- and Te-sites of the Janus monolayer. Based on the ultra-low recovery time in the order of μs for NO and NO2 and ps for CO, CO2, H2S, and SO2 gas molecules in the visible region at room temperature suggest that the Janus monolayer as a better candidate for reusable sensors for gas sensing materials. From the transport properties, it can be observed that there is a significant variation of IV characteristics and sensitivity of the Janus NbSeTe monolayer before and after adsorbing gas molecules demonstrates the feasibility of NbSeTe material that makes it an ideal material for a high-sensitivity gas sensor. Full article
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13 pages, 3131 KiB  
Article
Self-Assembly of Single-Polymer-Tethered Nanoparticle Amphiphiles upon Varying Tail Length
by Qingxiao Li, You-Liang Zhu, Xinhui Zhang, Kaidong Xu, Jina Wang, Zhixin Li and Yun Bao
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(11), 2108; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10112108 - 23 Oct 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2448
Abstract
We systematically investigated the roles of tail length on the self-assembly of shape amphiphiles composed of a hydrophobic polymer chain (tail) and a hydrophilic nanoparticle in selective solvent using Brownian dynamics simulations. The shape amphiphiles exhibited a variety of self-assembled aggregate morphologies which [...] Read more.
We systematically investigated the roles of tail length on the self-assembly of shape amphiphiles composed of a hydrophobic polymer chain (tail) and a hydrophilic nanoparticle in selective solvent using Brownian dynamics simulations. The shape amphiphiles exhibited a variety of self-assembled aggregate morphologies which can be tuned by changing tail length (n) in combination with amphiphile concentration (φ) and system temperature (T*). Specifically, at high φ with T*=1.4, the morphology varied following the sequence “spheres → cylinders → vesicles” upon increasing n, agreeing well with experimental observations. At low φ with T*=1.4 or at high φ with T*=1.2, the morphology sequence becomes “spheres or spheres and cylinders mixture → cylinders → vesicles → spheres” upon increasing n, which has not been found experimentally. Two morphological phase diagrams depending on n and φ were constructed for T*=1.4 and 1.2, respectively. The rich phase behaviors on varying tail length could provide the feasible routes to fabricate target aggregate morphologies in various applications, especially for the vesicles with tunable thickness of membranes that are crucial in drug and gene delivery. Full article
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19 pages, 4747 KiB  
Article
Structural Properties of Janus Particles with Nano- and Mesoscale Anisotropy
by Eugen Mircea Anitas
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(5), 989; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10050989 - 21 May 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3090
Abstract
Synthesis of anisotropic Janus particles (AnJPs) is crucial for understanding the fundamental principles behind non-equilibrium self-organization of cells, bacteria, or enzymes, and for the design of novel multicomponent carriers for guided self-assembly, drug delivery or molecular imaging. Their catalytic activity, as well as [...] Read more.
Synthesis of anisotropic Janus particles (AnJPs) is crucial for understanding the fundamental principles behind non-equilibrium self-organization of cells, bacteria, or enzymes, and for the design of novel multicomponent carriers for guided self-assembly, drug delivery or molecular imaging. Their catalytic activity, as well as many other chemical and physical properties are intimately related to the nano- and mesoscale structure. An efficient and fast in situ monitoring of the structural changes involves non-destructive techniques which can probe macroscopic volumes of multicomponent systems, such as small-angle scattering (SAS). However, the interpretation of scattering data is often a difficult task since the existing models deal only with symmetric AnJPs, thus greatly restricting their applicability. Here, a general theoretical framework is developed, which describes scattering from a system containing randomly oriented and placed two-phase AnJPs with arbitrarily tunable geometric and chemical asymmetries embedded in a solution/matrix of different chemical composition. This approach allows an analytic description of the contrast matching point, and it is shown that the interplay between the scattering curves of the two phases gives rise to a rich scaling behavior which allows extracting structural information about each individual phase. To illustrate the above findings, analytic expression for the scattering curves of asymmetric AnJPs are derived, and the results are validated by Monte-Carlo simulations. The broad general features of the scattering curves are explained by using a simple scaling approach which allows gaining more physical insight into the scattering processes as well as for the interpretation of SAS intensity. Full article
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Review

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29 pages, 2756 KiB  
Review
Janus Particles at Fluid Interfaces: Stability and Interfacial Rheology
by Elton L. Correia, Nick Brown and Sepideh Razavi
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(2), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11020374 - 2 Feb 2021
Cited by 41 | Viewed by 7651
Abstract
The use of the Janus motif in colloidal particles, i.e., anisotropic surface properties on opposite faces, has gained significant attention in the bottom-up assembly of novel functional structures, design of active nanomotors, biological sensing and imaging, and polymer blend compatibilization. This review is [...] Read more.
The use of the Janus motif in colloidal particles, i.e., anisotropic surface properties on opposite faces, has gained significant attention in the bottom-up assembly of novel functional structures, design of active nanomotors, biological sensing and imaging, and polymer blend compatibilization. This review is focused on the behavior of Janus particles in interfacial systems, such as particle-stabilized (i.e., Pickering) emulsions and foams, where stabilization is achieved through the binding of particles to fluid interfaces. In many such applications, the interface could be subjected to deformations, producing compression and shear stresses. Besides the physicochemical properties of the particle, their behavior under flow will also impact the performance of the resulting system. This review article provides a synopsis of interfacial stability and rheology in particle-laden interfaces to highlight the role of the Janus motif, and how particle anisotropy affects interfacial mechanics. Full article
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