Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Markus Bier, Maximilian Mussotter, S. Dietrich
Summary: A unified classical density functional theory approach is used to systematically study the structures of dilute electrolyte solutions close to nonuniformly charged planar substrates across the entire spectrum of microscopic to macroscopic length scales. The study reveals that interactions with microscopic ranges have negligible influence on the formation of nonuniform lateral structures. Additionally, a coupling between the lateral and the normal fluid structures is observed, where fewer details of the lateral nonuniformities contribute to the fluid structure as the distance from the substrate increases, ultimately leaving only large-scale surface features relevant.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
William S. Y. Wong, Abhinav Naga, Lukas Hauer, Philipp Baumli, Hoimar Bauer, Katharina I. Hegner, Maria D'Acunzi, Anke Kaltbeitzel, Hans-Juergen Butt, Doris Vollmer
Summary: Wong et al. demonstrate the effectiveness of super-amphiphobic surfaces in in situ defoaming and inhibition of foam growth when handling aqueous solutions, providing a passive alternative to froth management in industrial processes. These surfaces significantly improve retraction of wet foams and prevention of dry foams, offering potential for efficient, low-power, and sustainable foam and froth management without the need for chemical additives.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Lei Xie, Xin Cui, Jing Liu, Qiuyi Lu, Jun Huang, Xiaohui Mao, Diling Yang, Jinglin Tan, Hao Zhang, Hongbo Zeng
Summary: The mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) can be deposited on various substrates and possess versatile wet adhesion, but its interaction with slippery surfaces remains unclear. Liquid-infused poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (LI-PTFE) and solid slippery surfaces were found to effectively prevent PDA deposition, with LI-PTFE demonstrating excellent antifouling and self-cleaning properties even when interacting with PDA wet adhesives.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Samuel Stenberg, Jan Forsman
Summary: The stability of dispersions containing charged particles can be regulated by salt, and charge reversal and added salt can increase colloidal stability. Through simulations and calculations, it has been found that the experimentally observed nonmonotonic dependence of colloidal stability on salt concentration can be explained, with all non-DLVO aspects attributed to ion-ion correlations.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Samuel Stenberg, Clifford E. Woodward, Jan Forsman
Summary: The study demonstrates quantitative and qualitative differences in interactions between two perfectly conducting surfaces in a salt solution compared to those between equally charged non-conducting surfaces. Despite these differences, there are also similarities in behaviors. The dependence of the free energy barrier height on salt concentration displays a non-monotonic relationship, reaching a minimum when a flat profile of apparent surface charge density is achieved, outside the Stern layer.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marion Schvartz, Florent Saudrais, Stephanie Devineau, Jean-Christophe Aude, Stephane Chedin, Celine Henry, Aaron Millan-Oropeza, Thomas Perrault, Laura Pieri, Serge Pin, Yves Boulard, Guillaume Brotons, Jean-Philippe Renault
Summary: Protein aggregation in biotherapeutics can reduce their activity and effectiveness, and may also promote immune reactions responsible for severe adverse effects. This study analyzes the effects of material surface, air/liquid interface, and agitation on protein destabilization and aggregation, and proposes a mechanistic model of protein destabilization by plastics.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Mechanics
Xingwei Yang, Abhishek Srivastava, Rong Long
Summary: This paper presents an analytical model for the adhesive contact between an inflated elastomeric membrane and a rigid curved substrate. The model provides analytical solutions describing the three stages of adhesive contact and relationships between key parameters. It is applicable for design, optimization, and system refinement in applications such as adhesion measurement and soft robotic gripping.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOLIDS AND STRUCTURES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Weiwang Duan, Zhilin Yu, Wenhui Cui, Zengxin Zhang, Wenling Zhang, Yu Tian
Summary: In nature, diverse creatures have developed switchable adhesion capabilities to adapt to challenging environments. Scientists have been inspired by these biological adhesives and have made progress in developing artificial adhesives. This review summarizes the research on the adhesive motion of geckos, tree frogs, and octopuses, including the basic adhesion principles, mechanisms, and the design principles of artificial adhesive surfaces. The applications of these bio-inspired adhesives are also discussed.
ADVANCES IN COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Joseph M. Prisaznuk, Peter Huang, Xin Yong, Paul R. Chiarot
Summary: By using surface energy patterning and electrospray atomization, we created nonspherical droplets and observed the assembly of microparticles at the liquid-air interface. We found that the underlying surface energy pattern played a significant role in the colloidal assembly, driving particles towards the center of the droplet. The particles formed a single, non-close-packed cluster with local hexagonal ordering, but left a clear region with very few particles near the contact line, which was attributed to long-range electrostatic repulsion from the photoresist used to create the surface energy pattern.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Omotola Okesanjo, J. Carson Meredith, Sven Holger Behrens
Summary: This study investigates the stability and influencing factors of capillary foams in flow, and finds that the particle network structure determines the stability of the foams, and shear force can increase the network strength and stability of the foams.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Oleg A. Vasilyev, Emanuele Marino, Bas B. Kluft, Peter Schall, Svyatoslav Kondrat
Summary: Fine-tuning interactions between particles can influence the structure of charged nanoparticles deposited on a substrate, with critical Casimir interactions decreasing significantly at the substrate. Experiments and simulations show self-assembly of nanoparticles into crystalline clusters and potential formation of fractal-like nanoparticle gels and bicontinuous phases. This research provides exciting opportunities for studying complex structures in optoelectronics and photonics.
Review
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Martin A. Hubbe, Dorota B. Szlek, Ramon E. Vera
Summary: This article reviews factors and mechanisms that affect the release of soils and impurities from cellulosic surfaces. Cellulosic substrates provide advantages for the release of contaminants due to their hydrophilic and permeable nature, but they also allow contaminants to enter internal crevices and pores. The article also discusses detergent theory and the role of cellulose in detergent formulation.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Yilin Jie, Fusheng Chen
Summary: The discovery of chitosan hydrochloride (CHC) as a simple and efficient stabilizer for high-internal-phase emulsions (HIPEs) has practical significance in various applications. The stabilization mechanism of CHC is pH-dependent, with the formation of three-dimensional reticular membranes or fibrous Pickering particles.
FOOD HYDROCOLLOIDS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaohang Luo, Xiaoxiao Dong, Yanguang Hou, Lifu Zhang, Penghao Zhang, Jiaye Cai, Ming Zhao, Melvin A. Ramos, Travis Shihao Hu, Hong Zhao, Quan Xu
Summary: Research combining TDPDA and PDMS micropillars has achieved high adhesion and self-cleaning performance, with effective self-cleaning mechanism controlled by light signals. By absorbing 808 nm wavelength light for heating and completing the self-cleaning process in a short time, this study may open new applications for biomimetic smart surfaces.
Article
Thermodynamics
Tian-Yu Zhang, Yu-Chen Zhang, Lin-Wei Mou, Min-Jie Liu, Li-Wu Fan
Summary: This study investigates the characteristics and influencing factors of condensation heat transfer on honeycomb-like superhydrophobic surfaces. The results indicate that the thermal conductivity of the substrate plays a significant role in the heat transfer performance and droplet dynamics during condensation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jaime Agudo-Canalejo, Sebastian W. Schultz, Haruka Chino, Simona M. Migliano, Chieko Saito, Ikuko Koyama-Honda, Harald Stenmark, Andreas Brech, Alexander I. May, Noboru Mizushima, Roland L. Knorr
Summary: This study explores how autophagosomes sequester droplets containing p62 protein in cells and demonstrates the formation of double-membrane, autophagosome-like vesicles on protein-free droplets through partial wetting in vitro. A minimal physical model shows that droplet surface tension supports the formation of membrane sheets. The interaction between the material properties of droplets and membrane sheets elucidates the mechanisms underlying droplet autophagy.
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Sebastian W. Schultz, Jaime Agudo-Canalejo, Haruka Chino, Simona M. Migliano, Chieko Saito, Ikuko Koyama-Honda, Harald Stenmark, Andreas Brech, Noboru Mizushima, Roland L. Knorr, Alexander I. May
Summary: The wetting interactions between autophagic membranes and phase-separated droplets play a crucial role in determining the structure and fate of forming autophagosomes.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rikhia Ghosh, Vahid Satarifard, Andrea Grafmueller, Reinhard Lipowsky
Summary: In this study, budding and fission processes of lipid nanovesicles with a size below 50 nm were reported using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. The processes are influenced by solute concentration and solvent conditions, with budding being reversible and unexpected morphological transformations observed under poor solvent conditions. This reveals a nanoscale mechanism for the budding and fission of nanovesicles, arising from the interplay between membrane elasticity and solute-mediated membrane adhesion.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vincent Ouazan-Reboul, Jaime Agudo-Canalejo, Ramin Golestanian
Summary: Biomolecular condensates in cells are often rich in catalytically active enzymes, particularly in large enzymatic complexes called metabolons. The self-organization of these enzymes may be explained by a combination of catalytic activity and chemotactic responses to gradients of substrates, leading to non-reciprocal interactions with exotic features. The study of phase separation in mixtures of catalytically active particles reveals a Michaelis-Menten-like dependence and transient oscillations, highlighting non-equilibrium organizing principles important for biological liquid-liquid phase separation.
EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL E
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lado Otrin, Agata Witkowska, Nika Marusic, Ziliang Zhao, Rafael B. Lira, Fotis L. Kyrilis, Farzad Hamdi, Ivan Ivanov, Reinhard Lipowsky, Panagiotis L. Kastritis, Rumiana Dimova, Kai Sundmacher, Reinhard Jahn, Tanja Vidakovic-Koch
Summary: Replacing lipids with polymers can partially address the durability issue in artificial cells, and the study on SNARE-mediated fusion in synthetic amphiphile membranes has identified bending rigidity and pore edge tension as key parameters for fusion.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Evelyn Tang, Jaime Agudo-Canalejo, Ramin Golestanian
Summary: This study presents a novel method of constructing two-dimensional stochastic networks, showing that varied dynamical phenomena such as a global clock, dynamical growth and shrinkage, and synchronization can be achieved by tuning a small number of parameters. These phenomena are associated with the topological properties and non-Hermitian features of the system.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nasrollah Rezaei-Ghaleh, Jaime Agudo-Canalejo, Christian Griesinger, Ramin Golestanian
Summary: The researchers investigated the molecular diffusivity of reactants, catalyst, and product in a copper-catalyzed click reaction. They developed new NMR diffusion methods and found that while the reactants showed decreased diffusivity over time, the product showed increased diffusivity and the catalyst showed slight diffusion enhancement. This suggests the presence of a relatively large intermediate species with lower diffusivity than the reactants and product.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jaime Agudo-Canalejo, Pierre Illien, Ramin Golestanian
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Jaime Agudo-Canalejo, Tunrayo Adeleke-Larodo, Pierre Illien, Ramin Golestanian
Summary: This study explores the stochastic dynamics of two enzymes that are mechanically coupled to each other, demonstrating that this coupling can greatly enhance their catalytic rate. The findings suggest that enzymes, despite being on a molecular scale, can cooperate and improve performance in metabolic clusters.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Babak Vajdi Hokmabad, Jaime Agudo-Canalejo, Suropriya Saha, Ramin Golestanian, Corinna C. Maass
Summary: Communication through chemical signaling is a common feature in biological self-organization. In this study, self-propelling droplets are used as a model to investigate how chemically active particles modify their environment and communicate with each other. The findings show how this communication mechanism leads to a transient dynamical arrest in active emulsions and provide insights into the navigation strategy shaped by negative autochemotaxis.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Reinhard Lipowsky, Rikhia Ghosh, Vahid Satarifard, Aparna Sreekumari, Miftakh Zamaletdinov, Bartosz Rozycki, Markus Miettinen, Andrea Grafmueller
Summary: Biological and biomimetic membranes based on lipid bilayers play a crucial role in drug delivery. Recent molecular dynamics simulations have provided insights into the spatio-temporal remodeling of individual bilayers and nanovesicles. The concept of leaflet tensions, which control stability, lipid flip-flops, shape transformations, and adhesion/fusion of nanovesicles, has been highlighted in these studies.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Reinhard Lipowsky
Summary: Condensate droplets form in solutions where macromolecules undergo phase separation. This phenomenon has been observed both in biochemical analysis and in living cells. The review focuses on the interactions between condensate droplets and biomimetic and biological membranes.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Hendrik T. Spanke, Jaime Agudo-Canalejo, Daniel Tran, Robert W. Style, Eric R. Dufresne
Summary: Lipid membranes act as barriers between cells and their subcompartments, binding and enveloping particles of various sizes. Wrapping plays a crucial role in many biological processes, but the dynamics of wrapping have received little attention.
PHYSICAL REVIEW RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jaime Agudo-Canalejo
Summary: Biological cells can undergo extensive shape transformations using membrane area reservoirs, as seen in endocytic and phagocytic processes. Giant vesicles with nanotubes mimicking cell-like membrane reservoirs show that the engulfment transition of particles can be continuous or discontinuous depending on the spontaneous curvature. The presence of asymmetry-stabilized reservoirs during particle engulfment is not well described by the constant-tension model, emphasizing the need for a better understanding of cellular membrane reservoirs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Simon Christ, Thomas Litschel, Petra Schwille, Reinhard Lipowsky
Summary: The study investigates shape oscillations of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) caused by the Min protein system, where MinD and MinE proteins periodically attach to and detach from the membrane, driven by ATP hydrolysis. The oscillations can be understood in terms of spontaneous curvature changing periodically, with the vesicle shape transforming from symmetric to asymmetric and back during each cycle. The radius of the narrow membrane neck connecting the subcompartments undergoes periodic oscillations with an average time period of 56 seconds.
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.