Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Chain length dependent stabilization of charged nanoplatelet dispersions by inorganic polyphosphates

Utzeri, Gianluca LU orcid ; Holmqvist, Peter LU ; Topgaard, Daniel LU and Skepö, Marie LU orcid (2026) In Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 722.
Abstract

The increasing demand for accessible phosphorus sources, essential for plant growth, is placing growing pressure on both industry and academia. Here, we investigate nanoplatelets as carriers for phosphate species, using Laponite® as a model system for sprayable phosphorus formulations. We examine how phosphate species chain length (1, 2, 3, 14, 60, and 130 monomers) governs dispersion stability and interparticle assembly of nanoplatelet dispersions at 1 wt%. A combination of cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), 31P magic-angle spinning NMR, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), light scattering, and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations reveals that electrostatic interactions between anionic phosphate... (More)

The increasing demand for accessible phosphorus sources, essential for plant growth, is placing growing pressure on both industry and academia. Here, we investigate nanoplatelets as carriers for phosphate species, using Laponite® as a model system for sprayable phosphorus formulations. We examine how phosphate species chain length (1, 2, 3, 14, 60, and 130 monomers) governs dispersion stability and interparticle assembly of nanoplatelet dispersions at 1 wt%. A combination of cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), 31P magic-angle spinning NMR, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), light scattering, and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations reveals that electrostatic interactions between anionic phosphate species and the anisotropically charged platelet surfaces dictate structural evolution. Short-chain phosphate species (1–3 monomers) enhance charge screening, increasing compressibility and promoting clustering. In contrast, longer-chain polyphosphates ( ≥ 14 monomers) preferentially associate with the positively charged platelet rims, suppressing dense rim-face aggregation while still permitting open, weakly connected structures, thereby stabilizing the dispersions against compact flocculation. Cryo-TEM directly visualizes this transition in assembly behavior as chain length increases. These results establish a molecular-level understanding of how multivalent polyelectrolytes regulate anisotropic colloidal interactions and demonstrate that chain length provides a direct handle for tuning nanoplatelet dispersion stability. The findings offer general design principles for stable nanoplatelet-polyphosphate formulations with controllable aggregation and phosphate release characteristics.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
P MAS NMR, Colloidal stability, Laponite®, Molecular dynamics simulations, Nanoplatelets, Polyelectrolytes, Polyphosphate, Small-angle X-ray scattering
in
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
volume
722
article number
140716
publisher
Academic Press
external identifiers
  • pmid:42190568
  • scopus:105039986991
ISSN
0021-9797
DOI
10.1016/j.jcis.2026.140716
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
cf110cbc-c9ab-4861-bb17-cb92abc9bd9d
date added to LUP
2026-09-02 10:18:12
date last changed
2026-09-02 10:19:11
@article{cf110cbc-c9ab-4861-bb17-cb92abc9bd9d,
  abstract     = {{<p>The increasing demand for accessible phosphorus sources, essential for plant growth, is placing growing pressure on both industry and academia. Here, we investigate nanoplatelets as carriers for phosphate species, using Laponite® as a model system for sprayable phosphorus formulations. We examine how phosphate species chain length (1, 2, 3, 14, 60, and 130 monomers) governs dispersion stability and interparticle assembly of nanoplatelet dispersions at 1 wt%. A combination of cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), <sup>31</sup>P magic-angle spinning NMR, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), light scattering, and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations reveals that electrostatic interactions between anionic phosphate species and the anisotropically charged platelet surfaces dictate structural evolution. Short-chain phosphate species (1–3 monomers) enhance charge screening, increasing compressibility and promoting clustering. In contrast, longer-chain polyphosphates ( ≥ 14 monomers) preferentially associate with the positively charged platelet rims, suppressing dense rim-face aggregation while still permitting open, weakly connected structures, thereby stabilizing the dispersions against compact flocculation. Cryo-TEM directly visualizes this transition in assembly behavior as chain length increases. These results establish a molecular-level understanding of how multivalent polyelectrolytes regulate anisotropic colloidal interactions and demonstrate that chain length provides a direct handle for tuning nanoplatelet dispersion stability. The findings offer general design principles for stable nanoplatelet-polyphosphate formulations with controllable aggregation and phosphate release characteristics.</p>}},
  author       = {{Utzeri, Gianluca and Holmqvist, Peter and Topgaard, Daniel and Skepö, Marie}},
  issn         = {{0021-9797}},
  keywords     = {{P MAS NMR; Colloidal stability; Laponite®; Molecular dynamics simulations; Nanoplatelets; Polyelectrolytes; Polyphosphate; Small-angle X-ray scattering}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Academic Press}},
  series       = {{Journal of Colloid and Interface Science}},
  title        = {{Chain length dependent stabilization of charged nanoplatelet dispersions by inorganic polyphosphates}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2026.140716}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jcis.2026.140716}},
  volume       = {{722}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}