Janus particles

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Artists impression of a Janus particle

Janus particles are particles consisting of (at least) two parts with different interactions. For example, the typical Janus particle is a sphere which has a short-range attraction on one half of the particle, but is purely repulsive on the other side. However, the term has also been used for non-spherical particles. The name derives from the two-faced Roman god Janus. Janus particles can be considered as a one-patch patchy particle.

Experimentally, the different interactions can be achieved by (for example) making the two parts of the surface hydrophobic and hydrophilic, positively and negatively charged, or smooth and rough (leading to different interactions in the presence of depletants). In simulations, these particles are often modeled using the Kern-Frenkel interaction potential.

Phase diagram

[1] [2]

See also

References

  1. Francesco Sciortino, Achille Giacometti, and Giorgio Pastore "Phase Diagram of Janus Particles", Physical Review Letters 103 237801 (2009)
  2. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4801438 Teun Vissers, Zdeněk Preisler, Frank Smallenburg, Marjolein Dijkstra, and Francesco Sciortino "Predicting crystals of Janus colloids", Journal of Chemical Physics 138, 164505 (2013)
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