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Felix M. van der Kooij

Bio: Felix M. van der Kooij is an academic researcher from Utrecht University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Particle & Columnar phase. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 2 publications receiving 429 citations.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
24 Aug 2000-Nature
TL;DR: A suspension of plate-like colloids that shows isotropic, nematic and columnar phases on increasing the particle concentration is described, finding that the columnar two-dimensional crystal persists for a polydispersity of up to 25%, with a cross-over to smectic-like ordering at very high particle concentrations.
Abstract: Colloidal suspensions that form periodic self-assembling structures on sub-micrometre scales are of potential technological interest; for example, three-dimensional arrangements of spheres in colloidal crystals might serve as photonic materials, intended to manipulate light. Colloidal particles with non-spherical shapes (such as rods and plates) are of particular interest because of their ability to form liquid crystals. Nematic liquid crystals possess orientational order; smectic and columnar liquid crystals additionally exhibit positional order (in one or two dimensions respectively). However, such positional ordering may be inhibited in polydisperse colloidal suspensions. Here we describe a suspension of plate-like colloids that shows isotropic, nematic and columnar phases on increasing the particle concentration. We find that the columnar two-dimensional crystal persists for a polydispersity of up to 25%, with a cross-over to smectic-like ordering at very high particle concentrations. Our results imply that liquid crystalline order in synthetic mesoscopic materials may be easier to achieve than previously thought.

416 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The combined results from viscosity measurements and simulations provide insight into the effect of Péclet number, particle model, and polydispersity on the viscosities of approximately hard platelet suspensions.

44 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work argues for a conceptual framework for these new building blocks based on anisotropy attributes and discusses the prognosis for future progress in exploiting an isotropy for materials design and assembly.
Abstract: A revolution in novel nanoparticles and colloidal building blocks has been enabled by recent breakthroughs in particle synthesis These new particles are poised to become the ‘atoms’ and ‘molecules’ of tomorrow’s materials if they can be successfully assembled into useful structures Here, we discuss the recent progress made in the synthesis of nanocrystals and colloidal particles and draw analogies between these new particulate building blocks and better-studied molecules and supramolecular objects We argue for a conceptual framework for these new building blocks based on anisotropy attributes and discuss the prognosis for future progress in exploiting anisotropy for materials design and assembly

2,558 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Gold nanorods with aspect ratios of 4.6 ± 1.2, 13 ± 2, and 18 ± 2.5 are prepared by a seeding growth approach in the presence of an aqueous miceller template.
Abstract: Gold nanorods with aspect ratios of 4.6 ± 1.2, 13 ± 2, and 18 ± 2.5 (all with 16 ± 3 nm short axis) are prepared by a seeding growth approach in the presence of an aqueous miceller template. Citrate-capped 3.5 nm diameter gold particles, prepared by the reduction of HAuCl4 with borohydride, are used as the seed. The aspect ratio of the nanorods is controlled by varying the ratio of seed to metal salt. The long rods are isolated from spherical particles by centrifugation.

2,428 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a simple process to solubilize high weight fraction single-wall carbon nanotubes in water by nonspecific physical adsorption of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate was reported.
Abstract: We report a simple process to solubilize high weight fraction single-wall carbon nanotubes in water by the nonspecific physical adsorption of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate. The diameter distribution of nanotubes in the dispersion, measured by atomic force microscopy, showed that even at 20 mg/mL ∼63 ± 5% of single-wall carbon nanotube bundles exfoliated into single tubes. A measure of the length distribution of the nanotubes showed that our dispersion technique reduced nanotube fragmentation.

1,829 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Zhen Xu1, Chao Gao1
TL;DR: It is reported that soluble, chemically oxidized graphene or graphene oxide sheets can form chiral liquid crystals in a twist-grain-boundary phase-like model with simultaneous lamellar ordering and long-range helical frustrations.
Abstract: Chirality and liquid crystals are both widely expressed in nature and biology Helical assembly of mesophasic molecules and colloids may produce intriguing chiral liquid crystals To date, chiral liquid crystals of 2D colloids have not been explored As a typical 2D colloid, graphene is now receiving unprecedented attention However, making macroscopic graphene fibres is hindered by the poor dispersibility of graphene and by the lack of an assembly method Here we report that soluble, chemically oxidized graphene or graphene oxide sheets can form chiral liquid crystals in a twist-grain-boundary phase-like model with simultaneous lamellar ordering and long-range helical frustrations Aqueous graphene oxide liquid crystals were continuously spun into metres of macroscopic graphene oxide fibres; subsequent chemical reduction gave the first macroscopic neat graphene fibres with high conductivity and good mechanical performance The flexible, strong graphene fibres were knitted into designed patterns and into directionally conductive textiles

959 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 May 2018-Nature
TL;DR: Electrode films prepared from a liquid-crystal phase of vertically aligned two-dimensional titanium carbide show electrochemical energy storage that is nearly independent of film thickness, which makes them highly attractive for energy storage applications.
Abstract: The scalable and sustainable manufacture of thick electrode films with high energy and power densities is critical for the large-scale storage of electrochemical energy for application in transportation and stationary electric grids. Two-dimensional nanomaterials have become the predominant choice of electrode material in the pursuit of high energy and power densities owing to their large surface-area-to-volume ratios and lack of solid-state diffusion1,2. However, traditional electrode fabrication methods often lead to restacking of two-dimensional nanomaterials, which limits ion transport in thick films and results in systems in which the electrochemical performance is highly dependent on the thickness of the film1-4. Strategies for facilitating ion transport-such as increasing the interlayer spacing by intercalation5-8 or introducing film porosity by designing nanoarchitectures9,10-result in materials with low volumetric energy storage as well as complex and lengthy ion transport paths that impede performance at high charge-discharge rates. Vertical alignment of two-dimensional flakes enables directional ion transport that can lead to thickness-independent electrochemical performances in thick films11-13. However, so far only limited success11,12 has been reported, and the mitigation of performance losses remains a major challenge when working with films of two-dimensional nanomaterials with thicknesses that are near to or exceed the industrial standard of 100 micrometres. Here we demonstrate electrochemical energy storage that is independent of film thickness for vertically aligned two-dimensional titanium carbide (Ti3C2T x ), a material from the MXene family (two-dimensional carbides and nitrides of transition metals (M), where X stands for carbon or nitrogen). The vertical alignment was achieved by mechanical shearing of a discotic lamellar liquid-crystal phase of Ti3C2T x . The resulting electrode films show excellent performance that is nearly independent of film thickness up to 200 micrometres, which makes them highly attractive for energy storage applications. Furthermore, the self-assembly approach presented here is scalable and can be extended to other systems that involve directional transport, such as catalysis and filtration.

832 citations