Micro- and Nano-assembly of Composite Particles by Electrostatic Adsorption

This work reports on a novel controlled nanocomposite fabrication technique which is applicable for material design via a micro- and nano-assembly method. The principle is based on the use of electrostatic adsorption of the surface charge-modified particles via layer-by-layer assembly. The polarity and the zeta potential of the surface charge was controlled using polycation and polyanion, while the zeta potential strength was controlled via the number of alternating coating layers which was determined using zeta potential measurement. A systematic study was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of composite material assembly via electrostatic adsorption using alumina (Al₂O₃) and silica (SiO₂) composite as a study model, which was carried out as a function of surface zeta potential, surface coverage percentage, and processing time. The considerable potential of this technique for composite material design is also further demonstrated with controlled assembly involving different materials in various structural forms such as fiber, whisker, nanosheets, and even irregular-shaped foam-like structured urethane. The composite materials designed using this EA method possess good potentials to be utilized for various applications such as mechanical property control, composite ceramic films formation, selective laser sintering, and rechargeable metal-air battery.