Strawberry Supracolloids for Water

However, some challenges are still associated with water-borne coatings, such as poor solvent resistance and insufficient mechanical properties. These challenges can be addressed with colloidal particles of inorganic/organic hybrid nature. By precisely controlling the morphology of these colloids, the final film can be engineered to have the desired coatings properties.

We have designed hybrid supracolloidal particles with a strawberry-like morphology, of a spherical polymer core partially covered by a corona of silica nanoparticles. The optimal conditions to assemble these strawberry-like supracolloidal particles in aqueous medium were found both in diluted, and concentrated dispersions which can be directly used for paint formulations. For coatings prepared from chemically bonded supracolloidal particles, a continuous honey-comb-shaped silica skeleton was formed throughout the coating. This nanostructured network largely improves the mechanical properties and water resistance of water-borne films. They also provide intriguing properties such as structural color, green/blue reflection upon water immersion and self-recoverability from damages, scratches.