Communications of the ACM
Feel the Attraction of Zwitterionic Janus Particles
The researchers showed that the previous method of assuming each of the particles carries a constant charge can give inaccurate results.
Credit: Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (Japan)
Researchers at the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) in Japan have simulated the electrostatic self-configuration of zwitterionic Janus nanoparticles.
The particles are spheres with positively and negatively charged sides, and the researchers' computer model embeds transient fluctuations in change distributions on the particles' surface, which can produce more diverse structures than current software.
The researchers demonstrated that assuming each particle carries a constant charge can yield inaccurate outcomes, and the model had to factor in transient surface charge fluctuations to simulate the possible transition to compact clusters.
"With zwitterionic particles, we hope to create functional materials with tunable properties, similar to the self-organization of charged proteins," said UTokyo's Hajime Tanaka.
From Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (Japan)
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