Stable oxide nanoparticle clusters obtained by complexation

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2006 Nov 1;303(1):315-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2006.07.025. Epub 2006 Aug 9.

Abstract

We report on the electrostatic complexation between polyelectrolyte-neutral copolymers and oppositely charged 6-nm crystalline nanoparticles. For two different dispersions of oxide nanoparticles, the electrostatic complexation gives rise to the formation of stable nanoparticle clusters in the range 20-100 nm. It is found that inside the clusters, the particles are "pasted" together by the polyelectrolyte blocks adsorbed on their surface. Cryo-transmission electronic microscopy allows visualization of the clusters and determination of the probability distribution functions in size and in aggregation number. The comparison between light scattering and cryo-microscopy results suggests the existence of a polymer brush around the clusters.