Mechanistic Insight into the Synthesis of Silica-Based
“Matchstick” Colloids
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Abstract
We
report an insight into the synthesis of silica-based “matchstick”-shaped
colloidal particles, which are of interest in the area of self-propulsion
on small length scales. The generation of aqueous emulsion droplets
dispersed in an <i>n</i>-pentanol-rich continuous phase
and their use as reaction centers allows for the fabrication of siliceous
microparticles that exhibit anisotropy in both particle morphology,
that is, a “matchstick” shape, and chemistry, that is,
a transition-metal oxide-enriched head. We provide a series of kinetic
studies to gain a mechanistic understanding and unravel the particle
formation and growth processes. Additionally, we demonstrate the ability
to select the aspect ratio of the “matchstick” particle
in a straightforward manner