Flask-like Janus Colloidal Motors with Explicit Direction and Tunable Speed.

Long, Yingchun; Wu, Qiuhua; Zuo, Xiuyuan; Zhang, Guolin; Zhang, Zexin; Yang, Zhenzhong; Liang, Fuxin · ACS Nano · 2022

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Nanoparticles with an anisotropic morphology and composition are flourishing in various scientific fields. Their morphology has a great impact on their functions, but the precise regulation of their growth and final morphology is still challenging. Here, flask-like Janus particles (FJPs) with different compositions segmented on the inner and outer surfaces were fabricated via a sol-gel process using different silane precursors. The neck length of the flask-like particles can be controllably regulated by employing different silane precursors. The Pt catalyst was selectively loaded in their cavities, and as-formed FJPs@Pt are employed as colloidal motors. Due to the adjustable neck length, the Janus colloidal motors have explicit directionality and tunable speeds (max diffusion coefficient is 18.2 μm<sup>2</sup> s<sup>-1</sup>).