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Art in Science

Movie in Science

This movie captured the process of the formation of a colloidal “polymer” chain. The linear polymer chain starts from a divalent particle, which picks up other single divalent particles sequentially. Particles were suspended in an aqueous PBS buffer solution (pH=7.4) containing surfactant (1% w/w Pluronic F127). Scale bar, 2 μm.

This movie describes the kinetics of the formation of AB3 type colloidal molecules. Trivalent particles act as central atoms, picking up monovalent particles one at a time. Most trivalent particles assemble a monovalent particle before the first trivalent particles pick up a second monovalent one. The same is true for the next assembly step. Only after most trivalent particles have acquired two monovalent particles do third particles begin to attach.  Scale bar, 3 μm.