Nanoparticles containing a eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) liquid-metal core with a polymeric outer shell have potential as nanocarriers in drug delivery systems. EGaIn nanoparticles are created using fluidic shearing and have diameters that range from 6.4 nm to &gt;10 μm. The particles have a passivating layer of gallium oxide (Ga2O3) on their surface. This oxide layer will bind to different kinds of organic ligands such as aliphatic carboxylic acids creating functional nanocomposite platforms which has high potential in healthcare and biomedical applications. Changing the length of the hydrocarbon chain in the aliphatic acids will have effect on size and yield of EGaIn nanoparticles formation. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), a novel analytical technique, can reveal the detailed surface characteristics of these ligand coated nanoparticles. AFM phase images will provide information beyond topography including identifying ligand coverage and their distribution upon the particles. AFM force-curve analysis will provide information on mechanical properties of the surface such as adhesive behavior of the coating, coating thickness, elasticity, etc. Understanding fundamental surface chemistry of the ligand-nanoparticle interface is crucial for evaluating efficiency of these ligand mediated nanoparticles in medical engineering application. This talk describes our studies on morphological and mechanical properties of EGaIn particles coated with different kinds of aliphatic carboxylic acids varying the chain length that will evaluate the efficiency of these nanoparticles.

Using atomic force microscopy to evaluate ligand-mediated stabilization of EGaIn liquid metal nanoparticles

256th National Meeting (2018)

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