Anisotropic hybrid particles based on electrohydrodynamic co-jetting of nanoparticle suspensions

Electrohydrodynamic co-jetting of two different nanocrystal suspensions can result in anisotropic nanocomposite particles. Using this approach, we are able to prepare submicron-sized, spherical Janus particles (464 ± 242 nm), which are not only comprised of two chemically distinct compartments, but are also morphologically anisotropic. Specifically, multifunctional hybrid particles have been derived, which are composed of a crosslinked copolymer, poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (p(AAm-co-AA)), and compartmentalized with respect to two metal oxides, i.e. titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) and magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)). Due to size as well as optical color differences between the Fe(3)O(4) (∼10 nm) and TiO(2) (