Highly ordered 3D colloidal architectures provide access to a rapidly growing field for various applications, e.g., sensing, photonics or membrane technology. A promising technique for the preparation of colloidal crystal films is the so called melt-shear organization technique. As a basic prerequisite the preparation of tailor-made core-shell particles is essential. During melt-shearing which comprises an increase in temperature under application of moderate pressures, a radial flow profile for the polymer mass is induced and the core particles will merge into a colloidal crystal structure inside the viscous polymeric shell material. The advantage of this technique compared to other processes is the possibility to create flexible and large-scalable films without a dispersion medium. The synthesis of the core-shell particles follows a stepwise emulsion polymerization, which allows the incorporation of different functional and stimuli-responsive monomers that can be triggered by e.g. temperature, light, mechanical stress, redox chemistry or solvent. The resulting polymer film then comprises the intrinsic capability of a color change by these triggers. These stimli-responsive polymer films offer highly attractive applications in photonics, sensing or as security features. Additionally some of the obtained structures can be converted into highly ordered (porous) ceramics. The use of bifunctional silane monomers offers the capability of self-crosslinking the entire hybrid material during processing or in a subsequent step. Due to the hybrid crosslinking strategy, the thermal stability of the matrix-building shell material is considerably increased. Finally, a porous ceramic structure can conveniently be achieved after thermal treatment of the hybrid polymer film.

Stimuli-responsive colloidal architectures and porous membranes by melt-shear organization

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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