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
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yang Huang, Zhihua Lin, Qiang He
Summary: This study presents a bioinspired communication and directed assembly method for peanut-shaped colloidal motors, which triggers the emergence of ordered colloidal ribbons through self-generated chemical fields. The communication between the colloidal motors is achieved by creating chemical concentration gradient fields through photocatalytic decomposition of fuel, resulting in long-range attractions on the colloidal scale. The critical distance for inter-individual communication is approximately 4.4 μm, and it is determined by the interplay between hydrodynamic effects, long-ranged phoretic attraction, and short-ranged magnetic interaction. The findings offer new possibilities for manufacturing active soft materials with precise and adaptive functions.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Piero Baglioni, David Chelazzi
Summary: Colloid science plays a significant role in preserving artifacts for future generations through the use of advanced materials such as nanoparticles and hybrid systems. The article provides an overview of key milestones and recent innovations in conservation science, focusing on remedial solutions based on green nanomaterials. It also outlines future perspectives and challenges in this exciting field.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jinghua Jiang, Xinyu Wang, Oluwafemi Isaac Akomolafe, Wentao Tang, Zhawure Asilehan, Kamal Ranabhat, Rui Zhang, Chenhui Peng
Summary: Scientists have designed synthetic molecular motors inspired by nanomotors in nature to drive the motion of microscale objects through cooperative reorganization. In this study, topological vortices are imprinted in monolayers of azobenzene molecules, which induce the collective motion of liquid crystal molecules and the spatiotemporal evolutions of nematic disclination networks. The collective transport and reconfiguration of colloidal assemblies can be controlled by manipulating the irradiated polarization, opening opportunities for programmable colloidal machines and smart composite materials.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dongdong Jin, Li Zhang
Summary: Active matter is a nonequilibrium system composed of interacting units that dissipate energy and transduce it into mechanical force or motion, giving rise to dynamic, complex, and collective states with extraordinary properties. Research into active matter deepens the understanding of how living units interact and regulate energy flow, providing valuable insights for engineering artificial active systems. Through batch fabrication, size control, and modulation of interactions, various complex collective states have been reproduced and programmed in colloidal suspension. Magnetic active matter, energized by alternating magnetic fields, demonstrates unique advantages and shows promise in a range of engineering fields.
ACCOUNTS OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rohit Batra
Summary: This article introduces a machine learning strategy for training predictive models of material properties using multi-fidelity data, which takes advantage of the fact that data are often collected in different ways with varying levels of accuracy. The approach was used to build a model that predicts a key property of materials.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Purnesh Chattopadhyay, Linlin Wang, Alexander Eychmueller, Juliane Simmchen
Summary: This experiment aims to provide students with an interdisciplinary understanding of colloid chemistry and surface science through the preparation and characterization of colloidal LB films. By conducting the experiment, students learn the method of making colloidal LB films and gain further knowledge of their surface properties, thereby broadening their knowledge in chemistry and materials science.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
(2022)
Article
Optics
Tianwei Wu, Marco Menarini, Zihe Gao, Liang Feng
Summary: Using spatial light modulator-based lithography-free programmable light transmission, we demonstrate optical switching and a basic photonic neural network. Integrated photonics is crucial for handling increasing data traffic due to its high speed, large bandwidth, and unlimited parallelism. This lithography-free paradigm allows for dynamic control of spatial-temporal modulations of the imaginary index, enabling tailored optical-gain distributions for desired photonic functionality. The resulting programmability and multifunctionality can revolutionize integrated photonic signal processing and enhance information-processing speed.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Minjeong Ha, Gilbert Santiago Canon Bermudez, Jessica A. -C. Liu, Eduardo Sergio Oliveros Mata, Benjamin A. Evans, Joseph B. Tracy, Denys Makarov
Summary: This article introduces magnetic origami actuators that have the capability to sense their orientation and displacement, as well as detect their own magnetization state and readiness for folding. These actuators integrate photothermal heating and magnetic actuation, allowing for sequential folding and recovery.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Theory & Methods
Jesse Zaman, Kennedy Kambona, Wolfgang De Meuter
Summary: The emergence of participatory sensing has led to a wide range of supporting systems for environmental and behavioral monitoring. FLAMENCO platform is a reusable and reconfigurable system designed for deploying and monitoring collaborative participatory sensing projects, using Citizen Observatories to coordinate community-based activities.
FUTURE GENERATION COMPUTER SYSTEMS-THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ESCIENCE
(2021)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Eisenstein
Summary: AI and robotics have the potential to revolutionize various research fields, such as handling deep-sea organisms and improving climate forecasting.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew J. Marinella, A. Alec Talin
Summary: Future progress in computing requires innovative ways to map material characteristics to logic functions, and a molecular memristor device, such as an iron complex, offers a way forward.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mikhail Y. Shalaginov, Sensong An, Yifei Zhang, Fan Yang, Peter Su, Vladimir Liberman, Jeffrey B. Chou, Christopher M. Roberts, Myungkoo Kang, Carlos Rios, Qingyang Du, Clayton Fowler, Anuradha Agarwal, Kathleen A. Richardson, Clara Rivero-Baleine, Hualiang Zhang, Juejun Hu, Tian Gu
Summary: This study introduces an active metasurface platform with all-dielectric, low-loss architecture for phase tuning in the full 2 range and diffraction-limited performance. A new design principle enables binary switching between arbitrary phase profiles for metasurfaces, along with a figure-of-merit tailored for reconfigurable meta-optics. The high-performance varifocal metalens with a record large switching contrast ratio and aberration-free, multi-depth imaging represents a key experimental demonstration of non-mechanical tunable metalens with diffraction-limited performance.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alberto Concellon
Summary: The research on liquid crystal emulsions has opened up new opportunities for the design of soft responsive materials, providing unprecedented potential applications in photonics, sensing, and soft robotics.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Youngkyu Hwang, Mohammed Shahrudin Bin Ibrahim, Jingyu Deng, Joshua A. Jackman, Nam-Joon Cho
Summary: There is a great interest in developing 3D scaffolds from natural materials for various applications. A mechanically responsive pollen sponge has been developed, which exhibits tunable 3D scaffold properties and is useful for oil remediation. By using pollen-based microgel particles as building blocks, the sponge fabrication process has been optimized to efficiently absorb oil from contaminated water sources.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Michael J. Solomon
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Onajite Shemi, Michael J. Solomon
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2018)
Letter
Mechanics
Yufei Wei, Michael J. Solomon, Ronald G. Larson
JOURNAL OF RHEOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Tianyu Liu, Bryan VanSaders, Sharon C. Glotzer, Michael J. Solomon
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2020)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Joanne K. Beckwith, J. Scott VanEpps, Michael J. Solomon
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Mechanics
Keara T. Saud, Mahesh Ganesan, Michael J. Solomon
Summary: The study examines the yield stress behavior of colloidal gels with embedded active particles, finding that the presence of active particles leads to significant softening of the gel, especially at low ratios of active to passive particles.
JOURNAL OF RHEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Tianyu Liu, Tianyu Liu, Fengyi Gao, Sharon C. Glotzer, Michael J. Solomon
Summary: Introducing discoidal shape anisotropy into colloidal particles can alter structural color reflection, with the shape and size of discoids affecting the orderliness of assembled structures and color effects.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tianyu Liu, Bryan VanSaders, Jacob T. Keating, Sharon C. Glotzer, Michael J. Solomon
Summary: This study investigates the impact of irregularly sized particles on the microstructural quality and structural color reflectivity of colloidal crystals formed by evaporative self-assembly. It is found that small irregular particles have a more detrimental effect on surface crystal quality and structural color reflectivity compared to large irregular particles. The study also shows that the overall crystallinity of assembled structures increases with the peak reflectivity and is correlated with the volume fraction of irregular particles.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Peng-Kai Kao, Michael J. Solomon, Mahesh Ganesan
Summary: The study demonstrates that changing the shape of building blocks from spheres to discoids can significantly increase the elastic modulus of colloidal gels. Through modeling fractal cluster gel rheology, it is revealed that the impact of shape anisotropy on gel elasticity is due to the combined effects on the microstructure of the gel network, the anisotropy of attractive interparticle pair potentials, and the volumetric compactness of the fractal cluster.
Article
Mechanics
Joanne K. Beckwith, Mahesh Ganesan, J. Scott VanEpps, Anuj Kumar, Michael J. Solomon
Summary: This study presents a method to measure the mechanical properties of Candida albicans biofilms and demonstrates its performance. The method allows researchers to investigate the effects of genetic, phenotypic, and environmental factors on the material properties of fungal biofilms, which is crucial for understanding their growth and developing remediation strategies.
JOURNAL OF RHEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tianyu Liu, Michael J. Solomon
Summary: Self-assembled colloidal crystals exhibit structural colors due to light diffraction from their ordered microscale structure. This study identifies the design space for creating grating diffraction (GD) structural colors and demonstrates their relative advantages. Using electrophoretic deposition, crystals with fine grains are self-assembled from 1.0 μm diameter colloids. The transmitted structural color is tunable across the visible spectrum, with the best optical response observed at low layer numbers (<= 5 layers). The spectral response can be well predicted by Mie scattering of the crystals. The results highlight the potential of micron-sized colloids to produce vivid grating colors with high saturation, expanding the possibilities of artificial structural color materials.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Keara T. Saud, Jin Xu, Sabina Wilkanowicz, Yue He, James J. Moon, Michael J. Solomon
Summary: Recent studies have shown that inulin has a prebiotic effect by selectively promoting bacteria in the colon, modulating the gut microbiome, and generating beneficial effects on gastrointestinal inflammation, diabetes, and cancer. However, the water-soluble nature of inulin limits its prebiotic effect due to low delivery efficiency and short retention time in the colon. This study aimed to produce inulin microparticles (MPs) using the electrospray method and evaluate their material properties and bioavailability.
FOOD HYDROCOLLOIDS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Megan E. Szakasits, Keara T. Saud, Xiaoming Mao, Michael J. Solomon
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Peng-Kai Kao, Bryan J. VanSaders, Michael D. Durkin, Sharon C. Glotzer, Michael J. Solomon
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Joseph A. Ferrar, Leonid Pavlovsky, Eric Viges, Yanliang Liu, Michael J. Solomon
