Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zuochen Wang, Zhisheng Wang, Jiahui Li, Yufeng Wang
Summary: Colloidal particles with surface patches can self-assemble with high directionality but must be reconfigured using external fields. By synthesizing metallodielectric patchy particles and assembling them under an electric field, we have achieved structures directed by patches yet reconfigurable by the field.
Article
Polymer Science
Weisheng Feng, Liquan Wang, Yisheng Lv, Fan Liu, Shaoliang Lin
Summary: A crosslinking strategy was proposed for the stepwise self-assembly of rod-coil diblock copolymers, which can lead to complex materials with hierarchical structures. Computational study revealed that the structure of transient patchy particles and the morphology of hierarchical aggregates are determined by the crosslinking number and rod block length. The packing parameter of temporary patchy particles was found to effectively predict the geometry of hierarchical aggregates.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andreas Neophytou, Dwaipayan Chakrabarti, Francesco Sciortino
Summary: The study demonstrates that a two-component system of tetrahedral patchy particles, where bonding is allowed only between particles of different types to select even-member rings, can more easily achieve self-assembly into diamond crystals. The crystallization process in the two-component system is thermodynamically and kinetically enhanced.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hossein Eslami, Florian Mueller-Plathe
Summary: The self-assembly of triblock Janus particles and the relative stability of different lattices were simulated. The nucleation process consists of two steps: the formation of a compact and disordered liquid cluster, followed by the reorientation of particles to form crystalline nuclei. The nucleation barriers for pyrochlore and perovskite were similar to previously studied 2D kagome lattices, while the barrier for diamond was larger.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Miguel Angel Fernandez-Rodriguez, Maria-Nefeli Antonopoulou, Lucio Isa
Summary: By balancing attractive quadrupolar capillary interactions and steric repulsion among particles at the water/oil interface, rectangular lattices of microgels can be self-assembled at near zero surface pressure. These assemblies can serve as lithography masks for obtaining regular arrays of vertically aligned nanowires through wet and dry etching processes.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Sanjib Paul, Harish Vashisth
Summary: The simulation studies investigated the self-assembly of a binary mixture of snowman and dumbbell shaped lobed particles, revealing different self-assembled structures depending on lobe size and temperature. Porosities of the structures were influenced by temperature and lobe size, with smaller lobes producing structures with larger pores. The parameter sigma in the potential impacted the morphologies and porosities of the self-assembled structures, with higher sigma values producing larger pores.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qingguang Xie, Jens Harting
Summary: This study reports the capillary assembly of magnetic ellipsoidal Janus particles at a fluid-fluid interface, where the particles can deform the interface and generate different structures depending on their tilt angle, and can be actively controlled by applying an external magnetic field.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hyeong Min Jin, Xiao Li, James A. Dolan, R. Joseph Kline, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Jiaxing Ren, Chun Zhou, Juan J. de Pablo, Paul F. Nealey
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Enrique Gonzalez-Tovar, Jose Adrian Martinez-Gonzalez, Cesar Gabriel Galvan Pena, Guillermo Ivan Guerrero-Garcia
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jonathan Josue Elisea-Espinoza, Enrique Gonzalez-Tovar, Jose Adrian Martinez-Gonzalez, Cesar G. Galvan Pena, Guillermo Ivan Guerrero-Garcia
Summary: According to the dominance prescription of point-ions in the non-linear Poisson-Boltzmann theory, the structural and thermodynamic properties of a symmetric electrolyte converge asymptotically to those of a completely symmetric electrolyte at an infinite surface charge density. However, finite differences between local mean electrostatic potentials and electric fields associated to different electrolyte types may be observed near the electrode's surface, indicating that counterions do not fully dominate the properties in the entire electrical double layer in the non-linear Poisson-Boltzmann framework.
Article
Crystallography
Zhixuan Jia, Tejal Pawale, Guillermo Guerrero-Garcia, Sid Hashemi, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Xiao Li
Summary: By varying the surface anchoring strength, a thermodynamically stable lying helical structure with long-range order is achieved without any external support, allowing for control of the pitch size and morphology of the helical structure.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Monirosadat Sadati, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Alexander Cohen, Sepideh Norouzi, Orlando Guzman, Juan J. de Pablo
Summary: This article introduces the concept of strain-controlled polymerization of blue phases under confinement, enabling the formation of strain-correlated stabilized morphologies that can adopt perfect single-crystal monodomain structures and undergo reversible crystal-to-crystal transformations under some circumstances.
Article
Physics, Condensed Matter
Daniel Salgado-Blanco, Andrea H. Llanas-Garcia, Enrique Diaz-Herrera, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Carlos Mendoza
Summary: In this work, Monte Carlo simulations were performed to study the behavior of a Gay-Berne discotic liquid crystal confined in a spherical droplet. Results show that the presence of the droplet affects the phase transition behavior of the liquid crystal, and a ring disclination line appears as a stress release mechanism. Furthermore, a columnar phase forms at the center of the droplet with further cooling.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-CONDENSED MATTER
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sepideh Norouzi, Jose A. Martinez Gonzalez, Monirosadat Sadati
Summary: Designing simple, sensitive, fast, and inexpensive readout devices for detecting biological molecules and biomarkers is crucial in early diagnosis and treatments. In this study, we investigated the interaction between chiral liquid crystals (CLC) and biomolecules at the liquid crystal (LC)-droplet interface. We found that the presence of 1,2-diauroyl-sn-glycero3-phosphatidylcholine (DLPC) phospholipid leads to a reconfiguration of the CLC molecules in the droplets, with low-chirality droplets undergoing the process three times faster than high-chirality ones. Spectrometry and image analysis showed that the change in the chiral droplets' Bragg reflection can be correlated with the CLC-DLPC interactions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tadej Emersic, Kushal Bagchi, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Xiao Li, Juan J. de Pablo, Paul F. Nealey
Summary: It is experimentally demonstrated that chemical patterns can direct the self-assembly of blue phases (BPs), regardless of the chemistry and complexity of the material. This suggests that a thermodynamics-based continuum description can be applied to a broad range of materials for the self-assembly of BPs.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sepideh Norouzi, Antonio Tavera-Vazquez, Johanan Ramirez-de Arellano, Dae Seok Kim, Teresa Lopez-Leon, Juan J. de Pablo, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Monirosadat Sadati
Summary: This study investigates the crystallization behavior of blue phase liquid crystals under curved confinement. The results show that the high curvature and spatial confinement can lead to the reconfiguration of the BPI phase into the BPII phase, resulting in different optical characteristics and structural morphologies. Additionally, the coupling of curvature and confinement leads to the nucleation of skyrmions at greater thicknesses.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sepideh Norouzi, Rui Zhang, Juan G. Munguia-Fernandez, Luis de Pablo, Ye Zhou, Nader Taheri-Qazvini, Harrison Shapiro, Samuel Morin, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Monirosadat Sadati, Juan J. de Pablo
Summary: The study investigates the interplay between surface anchoring, spatially curved geometry, and the order associated with liquid crystals (LCs) in flexible and miniaturized technologies. Experimental methods and computational simulations were used to explore the effects of deformable curved boundaries on LC orientation in uniaxially and biaxially stretched droplets. The findings provide valuable insights for the design of LC-based flexible devices.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Abraham Reyes-Velazquez, Alberto Molgado, Jasel Berra-Montiel, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez
Summary: In this paper, a path-integral inspired framework is proposed for studying Chemical Reaction Networks (CRNs) which can generate exact numerical simulations of reaction networks. By applying this method to simulate a COVID-19 epidemiological model, it is found that the model closely agrees with the measured population dynamics. This framework can also be applied to study the spread dynamics of other contagious diseases.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kushal Bagchi, Tadej Emersic, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Juan J. de Pablo, Paul F. Nealey
Summary: Blue phase (BP) liquid crystals are chiral fluids that exhibit selective Bragg reflections in the visible due to their cubic lattices. Photopolymerization enables the exploitation of the photonic properties of BP for technological applications. This review focuses on the preparation and characterization of stimuli-responsive, polymeric photonic crystals based on BP, highlighting their potential for colorimetric sensing and dynamic light control, as well as the use of simulations and theory in guiding experimental design. Opportunities for synthesizing new soft materials, such as structured polymer meshes, using BP are also discussed.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Daniel Salgado-Blanco, Enrique Diaz-Herrera, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Carlos I. Mendoza
Summary: In this work, Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were performed on a discotic liquid crystal (DLC) droplet with edge-on (planar) anchoring. Phase transitions, including a first order isotropic-nematic transition and a nematic-columnar transition, were observed within the spherical droplet. The appearance of topological defects consisting of two disclination lines and the lower transition temperatures compared to the unconfined system were also observed.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jeremy Money, Juan G. Munguia-Fernandez, Sepideh Norouzi, Mohsen Esmaeili, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Monirosadat Sadati
Summary: Blue phase liquid crystals possess unique optical and electro-optical properties but are limited by their thermal stability and crystalline nature. This feature article provides an overview of efforts to stabilize these phases and create monodomain structures, highlighting the complex relationship between geometrical confinement, induced curvature, and the structural stability and photonic features of blue phases. Understanding the coupling effects of physical and mechanical forces on the structural stability of these systems is crucial for the development of efficient and practical devices based on blue phase liquid crystals.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiao Li, Kangho Park, Orlando Guzman, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, James A. Dolan, Juan J. de Pablo, Paul F. Nealey
Summary: In this study, liquid epitaxial growth was used to achieve the spontaneous nucleation and growth of blue phase crystal cores. The research focused on measuring the correlation length of crystallographic orientation in blue phase chiral liquid crystals, and the formation process of single crystal BPII blue phase. The results suggest that by using patterned substrates, it is possible to design processes that allow for the formation of macroscopically large single-domain, single-crystal BPs.
MOLECULAR SYSTEMS DESIGN & ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yiping Yin, Zhe Wang, Hua Zou
Summary: This study presents a novel method for preparing dimpled polymer-silica nanocomposite particles using interfacial swelling-based seeded polymerization. The optimized conditions allow for a relatively high percentage of dimpled particles to be achieved.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Brenden D. Hoehn, Elizabeth A. Kellstedt, Marc A. Hillmyer
Summary: Porous materials with nanometer-scale pores have important applications as nanoporous membranes. In this study, ABA triblock copolymers were used as precursors to produce nanoporous polymeric membranes (NPMs) in thin film form by degrading the end blocks. Polycyclooctene (PCOE) NPMs with tunable pore sizes were successfully prepared using solvent casting technique. Oxygen plasma etching was employed to improve the surface porosity and hydrophilicity of the membranes. This study provides a straightforward method to produce tough NPMs with high porosity and hydrophilic surface properties.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vladislav S. Petrovskii, Stepan I. Zholudev, Igor I. Potemkin
Summary: This article investigates the behavior of linear and ring polypeptide chains in aqueous solution and explores the properties of the complexes formed by these chains with oppositely charged surfactants. The results demonstrate that the complexes of linear supercharged unfolded polypeptides and the corresponding surfactants exhibit impressive adhesive properties.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Merve Cevik, Serkan Dikici
Summary: Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death globally, and vascular grafts are a promising treatment option. This study focuses on tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) using decellularized parsley stems as a potential biomaterial. The decellularized parsley stems showed suitable properties for TEVGs, providing a suitable environment for human endothelial cells to form a pseudo endothelium. This study showcases the potential of using parsley stems for TEVGs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Gustavo A. Vasquez-Montoya, Tadej Emersic, Noe Atzin, Antonio Tavera-Vazquez, Ali Mozaffari, Rui Zhang, Orlando Guzman, Alexey Snezhko, Paul F. Nealey, Juan J. de Pablo
Summary: The optical properties of liquid crystals are typically controlled by electric fields. In this study, we investigate the effects of microfluidic flows and acoustic fields on the molecular orientation and optical response of nematic liquid crystals. We identify several previously unknown structures and explain them through calculations and simulations. These findings hold promise for the development of new systems combining sound, flow, and confinement.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xinjun Wu, Xin Guan, Shushu Chen, Jiangpeng Jia, Chongyi Chen, Jiawei Zhang, Chuanzhuang Zhao
Summary: This research presents a novel shape memory hydrogel with a remodelable permanent shape and programmable cold-induced shape recovery behavior. The hydrogel is prepared using specific treatment methods to achieve shape fixation by heating and shape recovery by cooling. Additionally, deformable devices can be obtained by assembling hydrogel blocks with different concentrations.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rebecca Hengsbach, Gerhard Fink, Ulrich Simon
Summary: This study examines the properties of DNA functionalized pNipmam microgels and pure pNipmam microgels at different concentrations of sodium chloride and in PBS solutions using temperature dependent H-1-NMR measurements. The results show that DNA modification affects the volume phase transition temperature and the addition of salt and PBS further enhances this effect.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ningyi Li, Junhong Li, Lijingting Qing, Shicheng Ma, Yao Li, Baohui Li
Summary: This paper investigates the self-assembly behavior of colloids with competing interactions under spherical confinement and finds that different ordered structures can be formed under different sized spherical confinements. Moreover, more perforated structures are formed in smaller spheres.
