Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuichiro Nishizawa, Haruka Minato, Takumi Inui, Takayuki Uchihashi, Daisuke Suzuki
Summary: This study evaluated the structural evolution and thermoresponsiveness of hydrogel microspheres during polymerization using temperature-controlled high-speed atomic force microscopy. It clarified that precursor microgels formed in the early stages have low swelling properties due to high cross-linker incorporation, and non-thermoresponsive deca-nanosized spherical domains are present in precursor microgels. Additionally, real-time observations tracked the formation of nuclei and their growth process in aqueous solution, providing insights for designing functional microgels with desired nanostructures via precipitation polymerization.
Article
Polymer Science
Xiaotong Fan, Choon Peng Teng, Jayven Chee Chuan Yeo, Zibiao Li, Tingting Wang, Haiming Chen, Lu Jiang, Xunan Hou, Chaobin He, Junqiu Liu
Summary: A highly emissive microgel with temperature responsive fluorescence emission was synthesized, and a novel artificial light harvesting system with high energy transfer efficiency was constructed by inserting Rhodamine B onto the microgels surface. Both the microgel and light-harvesting system showed good cytocompatibility, making them ideal candidates for cell imaging. This provides a new strategy for tunable luminescent nanomaterials fabrication and expands potential applications in fields such as stomach recognition, temperature sensors, and drug delivery.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gwendoline Delepierre, Hanna Traeger, Jozef Adamcik, Emily D. Cranston, Christoph Weder, Justin O. Zoppe
Summary: The liquid crystalline properties of hydrophilic polymer grafted onto cellulose nanocrystal allomorphs were investigated, with different decoration patterns observed on CNCs extracted from cellulose I and cellulose II. Various analytical techniques were utilized to confirm the grafting of the polymer onto CNC REGs, and the self-assembly behavior of end-tethered CNC-hybrids into chiral nematic liquid crystalline phases was explored. The introduction of the polymer did not disrupt the surface of the modified CNCs, allowing them to form helicoidal textures and chiral nematic tactoids.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuichiro Nishizawa, Haruka Minato, Takumi Inui, Ikuma Saito, Takuma Kureha, Mitsuhiro Shibayama, Takayuki Uchihashi, Daisuke Suzuki
Summary: In this study, the nanostructure and thermoresponsiveness of pNIPMAm microgels were evaluated using temperature-controllable high-speed atomic force microscopy, revealing a peculiar heterogeneous structure and the impact of adsorption concentration on their thermoresponsiveness. These findings are expected to advance the design of new materials such as thermoresponsive nanosheets and stimuli-responsive coatings.
Review
Polymer Science
Yulia A. Rozhkova, Denis A. Burin, Sergey V. Galkin, Hongbin Yang
Summary: In today's world, the increasing number of mature oil fields has led to the development of more advanced enhanced oil recovery technologies. Conformance control using crosslinked microgels is one of the latest trends in this field, with its simplicity in treatment process and management, as well as guaranteed effectiveness when selecting the right well candidate. This publication aims to combine the chemical aspects of microgel production with practical features of their application to provide valuable information to specialists involved in polymer technologies during the early stages of microgel development.
Article
Polymer Science
Marco Annegarn, Maxim Dirksen, Thomas Hellweg
Summary: The synthesis of cationic microgels using PNIPAM with APMH as the cationic comonomer resulted in a significant decrease in microgel size and yield, with less than one third of the APMH monomer being incorporated. Increasing the reaction pH up to 9.5 helped alleviate the negative effects of APMH copolymerization, but synthesis was not feasible above this pH due to aggregation issues.
Article
Polymer Science
Marco Hildebrandt, Sergey Lazarev, Javier Perez, Ivan A. Vartanyants, Janne-Mieke Meijer, Matthias Karg
Summary: In this study, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to investigate soft microgels with thermoresponsive shells and gold nanoparticle cores. The scattering contrast of the gold cores allowed precise determination of the microgel volume fraction, and the structure factor was extracted to characterize the phases using UV-vis spectroscopy. This research provides new ways to explore dense packings of soft microgels, including in situ studies of phase transitions.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Thomke Belthle, Andrij Pich
Summary: Microgels are smart polymer colloids that combine the properties of hard particles and soft macromolecules. They have diverse applications due to their amphiphilic polymer network, which can promote solubility and protection of hydrophobic substances, mediate between reactants in different solvents, and enhance emulsification ability. The deformability, tailored functionality, and responsiveness to stimuli make microgels superior to hard hydrophobic particles or linear amphiphilic macromolecules. This minireview focuses on amphiphilic compartmentalized microgels with engineered hydrophobic domains, describing recent advances in synthesis approaches and highlighting their applications as smart delivery systems, emulsifiers, catalyst carriers, scavengers, and sensors.
MOLECULAR SYSTEMS DESIGN & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Amin Rahimzadeh, Matthias Rutsch, Mario Kupnik, Regine von Klitzing
Summary: This article presents a novel method to visualize ultrasonic energy absorption due to bulk viscosity using turbidity in water. It is found that increasing microgel concentration significantly increases the acoustic energy absorption rate, and the bulk viscosity is the responsible parameter for this increase. With increasing concentrations, the bulk viscosity and the structural relaxation time increase by 1 and 2 orders of magnitude, respectively.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Cheng Guo, Wangyang Shen, Weiping Jin, Xiwu Jia, Zhili Ji, Jinling Li, Bin Li
Summary: Colloidal nanoparticles in tea infusion play an important role in the formation of tea cream. The study found that the rate of aggregation of green tea nanoparticles increases with decreasing pH values, and different metal ions have different effects on the nanoparticles. In addition, low temperature indirectly promotes the aggregation of nanoparticles. Under low temperature, the combination of epigallocatechin gallate and caffeine weakens the stability of nanoparticles.
JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Seyed Saeid Tayebi, Elizabeth Keane, Nahieli Preciado Rivera, Todd Hoare, Prashant Mhaskar
Summary: This study successfully predicted the swelling profile and VPTT of microgels using a data-driven model, paving the way for faster customization of microgel swelling profiles as needed for specific applications.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shunan Dong, Wangwei Cai, Jihong Xia, Liting Sheng, Weimu Wang, Hui Liu
Summary: The aggregation kinetics of fragmental polyethylene glycol terephthalate (PET) nanoplastics in aqueous environment were studied under various chemistry conditions. It was found that the aggregation of PET nanoplastics increased with higher electrolyte concentrations and lower solution pH, especially in the presence of divalent cations. Additionally, the presence of humic acid was shown to significantly inhibit the aggregation of PET nanoplastics.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Lara Frenzel, Michael Dartsch, Gerard Marti Balaguer, Fabian Westermeier, Gerhard Gruebel, Felix Lehmkuehler
Summary: The structure and dynamics of colloidal particles with a hard core and a thermo-responsive shell were studied using small-angle x-ray scattering and x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. Different phases such as liquid, repulsive glass, and attractive gel were observed. Dynamics slowed down with increasing volume fraction in the liquid phase and a gel-glass transition was observed at an effective volume fraction of 34 vol.%.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Amir H. Milani, Jennifer M. Saunders, Nam T. Nguyen, Shanglin Wu, Brian R. Saunders
Summary: The study demonstrates the potential of using sub-50 nm photoacid/base generator nanoparticles to selectively trigger swelling and positive charge production within host hydrogels, adding various functionalities and controlling the bending angle of monolayer actuators through mass fraction.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Andrea Scotti, Urs Gasser, Alexander Petrunin, Lisa Fruhner, Walter Richtering, Judith E. Houston
Summary: This study used small-angle neutron scattering to investigate the bulk modulus of polymeric nanocapsules and found that the size of the cavity is the most important factor determining the softness of the nanocapsules.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Anna M. Szczotok, Dan Madsen, Angel Serrano, Manuel Carmona, Patrick Van Hees, Juan F. Rodriguez, Anna-Lena Kjoniksen
Summary: Thermoregulating microcapsules with flame-retardant properties were used to produce polyurethane foams, which showed improved thermal stability and flame-retardant properties. The study highlights the potential importance of these microcapsules for applications requiring lower flammability.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Paulo H. Michels-Brito, Antonio Malfatti-Gasperini, Lina Mayr, Ximena Puentes-Martinez, Romulo P. Tenorio, Daniel R. Wagner, Kenneth D. Knudsen, Koiti Araki, Rafael G. Oliveira, Josef Breu, Leide P. Cavalcanti, Jon Otto Fossum
Summary: In this study, unmodified clay nanosheets were found to be able to localize at air-deionized-water interfaces, offering new possibilities for research on novel clay interface materials. By combining different experimental methods, the dynamic equilibrium of clay nanosheet organization at the interface was revealed.
Article
Polymer Science
Tri Quang Bui, Vinh Duy Cao, Wei Wang, Anna-Lena Kjoniksen
Summary: Hydrogels can extract energy from salinity gradients, with saline-sensitive hydrogels exhibiting a reversible swelling/shrinking process in fresh and saline water. Semi-IPN hydrogels show higher recovered energy compared to other types, with excellent performance maintained over multiple cycles.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Shima Pilehvar, Marlies Arnhof, Andreas Erichsen, Luca Valentini, Anna-Lena Kjoniksen
Summary: The study found that the addition of urea to lunar regolith geopolymers can reduce water usage and improve workability, but may decrease compressive strength under temperature variations.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Anastasiia Karabanova, Kenneth Dahl Knudsen, Perizat Berdiyeva, Leide P. Cavalcanti, Yun Liu, Michel van der Pal, Stefano Deledda, Didier Blanchard
Summary: This study utilized SANS, X-ray diffraction, and sorption measurements to investigate the structural evolution of a SrCl2-expanded natural graphite composite during ammonia absorption and desorption. Structural changes were found to affect absorption rate, while having no significant impact on desorption rate. Furthermore, the formation of nanopores significantly enhanced absorption kinetics.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Huiqiong Wu, Yi Zhang, Anna-Lena Kjoniksen, Xuechang Zhou, Xuelong Zhou
Summary: Wearable biofuel cells (w-BFCs) have excellent biocompatibility, remarkable environmental sustainability, and exceptional miniaturization capability, showing great potential and wide applications in the field. Researchers have achieved flexible and stretchable w-BFCs using novel materials and configurations, which have broad prospects for application in health monitoring and medical treatment fields.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Tri Quang Bui, Vinh Duy Cao, Wei Wang, Thanh Hung Nguyen, Anna-Lena Kjoniksen
Summary: The use of hydrogels to harvest salinity gradient energy has attracted interest, with polyelectrolyte hydrogels showing cyclic swelling/deswelling when in contact with freshwater and seawater. Research on the swelling/deswelling process of hydrogels revealed that epsilon has the largest effect on energy loss, with high pressure drops leading to significant energy loss. Developing hydrogel systems that deform less in their swollen state is essential for improving energy efficiencies in osmotic engines.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Physics, Applied
Huiqiong Wu, Yulai Lei, Jingxing Wang, Yun Tan, Xianwen Song, Jun Zheng, Ting He, Xuelong Zhou, Chuntai Liu, Anna-Lena Kjoniksen, Yi Zhang
Summary: This paper presents a simple and effective method to functionalize polymeric hydrogels using CMC@Fe3O4 NPs. The resulting metallogels exhibit excellent multifunctional properties and can be used to build functional devices.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Kristoffer W. Bo Hunvik, Rodrigo Jose da Silva Lima, Alexsandro Kirch, Patrick Loch, Paul Monceyron Roren, Martin Hoffmann Petersen, Svemir Rudic, Victoria Garcia Sakai, Kenneth Dahl Knudsen, Caetano Rodrigues Miranda Materiais Instituto, Josef Breu, Jon Otto Fossum, Heloisa N. Bordallo
Summary: Developing technologies for carbon sequestration and storage is crucial, and clay minerals show promise in this regard. This study investigates the intercalation mechanisms of CO2 in dehydrated and hydrated synthetic hectorite clay. The results suggest that intercalated water molecules create physical space for CO2 intercalation, and the presence of interlayer confinement affects the hydration of Na+ ions and may facilitate the adsorption of CO2 in the form of carbonates.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Julia Jianwei Tan, Natalie Gjerde, Alessandra Del Giudice, Kenneth D. Knudsen, Luciano Galantini, Guanqun Du, Karin Schillen, Sverre Arne Sande, Bo Nystrom
Summary: This study investigates the interactions between cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose (catHEC) and sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) or sodium cholate (NaC). It is found that there are strong interactions between catHEC and NaDC, while the interactions with NaC are weak. This difference may be due to the ability of NaDC to form more connections and entanglements.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Yuhan Li, Kaizheng Zhu, Huaitian Bu, Zhenyu Fu, Anna-Lena Kjoniksen, Bo Nystrom, Shujiang Ding
Summary: A series of AB(6) type-7 miktoarm star copolymers consisting of PEG and PCL were synthesized and introduced into solid electrolyte systems to enhance the properties of composite solid polymer electrolytes. The interaction between the star copolymers and lithium ions improves the segment mobility of the polymer and lithium-ion transfer.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Chunyang Yin, Qing Li, Jun Zheng, Yaqiong Ni, Huiqiong Wu, Anna-Lena Kjoniksen, Chuntai Liu, Yongpeng Lei, Yi Zhang
Summary: Researchers have summarized the application of Cu-based bimetallic catalysts in CO2 reduction reactions. By altering the electronic environment of the catalysts, selectivity can be improved, leading to the generation of high value-added products.
ADVANCED POWDER MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Maria-Dolores Aviles, Cristian Sanchez-Rodriguez, Ramon Pamies, Maria-Dolores Bermudez, Francisco-Jose Carrion-Vilches, Susana Garcia Sanfelix, Anna-Lena Kjoniksen
Summary: The aim of this study is to enhance the lubrication performance of aqueous lubricants using environmentally friendly, fatty acid-derived additives. Addition of DES to water and ethylene glycol mixture significantly reduces the friction coefficient and wear rate. The best performance is achieved with lower proportions of DES in the emulsions.
Article
Polymer Science
Pierre Carmona, Anca M. Tasici, Sverre A. Sande, Kenneth D. Knudsen, Bo Nystrom
Summary: The rheological changes during the chemical gelation process of chitosan with the low-toxicity agent glyceraldehyde were studied. Factors such as crosslinker concentration, temperature, and pH were found to influence the gelation process. Small angle neutron scattering results showed structural changes in chitosan solutions under different conditions.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Darya Zeini, Joel C. Glover, Kenneth D. Knudsen, Bo Nystrom
Summary: The study found that dextran conjugates with lysine and TRITC of different molecular weights exhibited variations in molecular volumes and mobility within axons. Surprisingly, lower molecular weight conjugated dextrans showed higher efficiency in translocation despite having larger molecular volumes compared to higher molecular weight dextrans.
ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS
(2021)