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Ma X, Kong S, Li Z, Zhen S, Sun F, Yang N. Effect of cross-linking density on the rheological behavior of ultra-soft chitosan microgels at the oil-water interface. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 672:574-588. [PMID: 38852358 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 06/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
In this paper, microgels with uniform particle size were prepared by physically cross-linking the hydrophobically modified chitosan (h-CS) with sodium phytate (SP). The effects of cross-linking density on the interfacial adsorption kinetics, viscoelasticity, stress relaxation, and micorheological properties of the hydrophobically modified chitosan microgels (h-CSMs) at the oil-water interface were extensively investigated by the dilatational rheology, compressional rheology, and particle tracing microrheology. The results were correlated with the particle size, morphology, and elasticity of the microgels characterized by dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy. It was found that with the increase of cross-linking density, the h-CSMs changed from a polymer-like state to ultra-soft fussy spheres with higher elastic modulus. The compression isotherms demonstrated multi-stage increase caused by the interaction between the shells and that between the cores of the microgels successively. As the increase of cross-linking density, the h-CSMs diffused slower to the oil-water interface, but demonstrating faster permeation adsorption and rearrangement at the oil-water interface, finally forming interfacial layers of higher viscoelastic modulus due to the core-core interaction. Both the initial tension relaxation and the microgel rearrangement after interface expansion became faster as the microgel elasticity increased. The interfacial microrheology demonstrated dynamic caging effect caused by neighboring microgels. This article provides a more comprehensive understanding of the behaviors of polysaccharide microgels at the oil-water interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuxi Ma
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology in Hubei, Department of Bioengineering and Food Science, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
| | - Songmei Kong
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology in Hubei, Department of Bioengineering and Food Science, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
| | - Zhenzhen Li
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology in Hubei, Department of Bioengineering and Food Science, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
| | - Shiyu Zhen
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology in Hubei, Department of Bioengineering and Food Science, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
| | - Fusheng Sun
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology in Hubei, Department of Bioengineering and Food Science, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China; Food Hydrocolloid International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
| | - Nan Yang
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology in Hubei, Department of Bioengineering and Food Science, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China; Food Hydrocolloid International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China.
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2
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Peng D, Yang J, de Groot A, Jin W, Deng Q, Li B, M C Sagis L. Soft gliadin nanoparticles at air/water interfaces: The transition from a particle-laden layer to a thick protein film. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 669:236-247. [PMID: 38718577 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.04.196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/27/2024]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Protein-based soft particles possess a unique interfacial deformation behavior, which is difficult to capture and characterize. This complicates the analysis of their interfacial properties. Here, we aim to establish how the particle deformation affects their interfacial structural and mechanical properties. EXPERIMENTS Gliadin nanoparticles (GNPs) were selected as a model particle. We studied their adsorption behavior, the time-evolution of their morphology, and rheological behavior at the air/water interface by combining dilatational rheology and microstructure imaging. The rheology results were analyzed using Lissajous plots and quantified using the recently developed general stress decomposition (GSD) method. FINDING Three distinct stages were revealed in the adsorption and rearrangement process. First, spherical GNPs (∼105 nm) adsorbed to the interface. Then, these gradually deformed along the interface direction to a flattened shape, and formed a firm viscoelastic 2D solid film. Finally, further stretching and merging of GNPs at the interface resulted in rearrangement of their internal structure to form a thick film with lower stiffness than the initial film. These results demonstrate that the structure of GNPs confined at the interface is controlled by their deformability, and the latter can be used to tune the properties of prolamin particle-based multiphase systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengfeng Peng
- Key Laboratory of Oilseeds Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Hubei Research Center of Oil and Plant Protein Engineering Technology, Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430062, PR China; Laboratory of Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods, Wageningen University, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708WG Wageningen, the Netherlands; College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, PR China
| | - Jack Yang
- Laboratory of Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods, Wageningen University, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708WG Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Anteun de Groot
- Laboratory of Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods, Wageningen University, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708WG Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Weiping Jin
- School of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430023, PR China
| | - Qianchun Deng
- Key Laboratory of Oilseeds Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Hubei Research Center of Oil and Plant Protein Engineering Technology, Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430062, PR China
| | - Bin Li
- College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, PR China
| | - Leonard M C Sagis
- Laboratory of Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods, Wageningen University, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708WG Wageningen, the Netherlands.
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3
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Zhang X, Zhao L, Gao J, Wang W, Wang H. Optical tracking of the heterogeneous solvent diffusion dynamics and swelling kinetics of single polymer microspheres. Analyst 2024; 149:2826-2832. [PMID: 38591153 DOI: 10.1039/d4an00279b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
The diffusion dynamics of small molecules into polymer entities is crucial for driving their morphology and function, which can be applied to research fields such as optical identification, medical implantation and intelligent sensing platforms. Herein, we demonstrate a nondestructive bright-field imaging strategy to monitor and control the morphology of polymer microspheres by varying the interfacial interaction and diffusion in a penetrant bath. The nanoscale interface movement of single polymer microspheres was tracked and converted into the diameter variation during the swelling event with sub-pixel accuracy, which is consistent with the calculation using Li-Tanaka's kinetic equations. More interestingly, the solvent diffusion dynamics along different directions of one particle are heterogeneous, indicating the non-uniform internal structure of a soft confined assembly. The swelling characteristics of single polymer microspheres can be quantified by this simple imaging strategy, and the transient intermediate swelling states are captured. To model the lifetime and stabilization times of microplastic entities, solvent selectivity and thermodynamic regulation were introduced to obtain the activation energy down to the single micro-entity level. This optical methodology shows capability for decoding the complex diffusion mechanism in polymer entities and provides guidance for the design of drug delivery systems, sensor platforms, and optical responsive materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Long Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Jia Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Hui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
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4
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Komarova GA, Gumerov RA, Rudyak VY, Kozhunova EY, Potemkin II, Nasimova IR. Peculiarities of Emulsions Stabilized by Stimuli-Responsive Interpenetrating Polymeric Network Microgels. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:9414-9425. [PMID: 38651693 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Emulsions have become a crucial product form in various industries in modern times. Expanding the class of substances used to stabilize emulsions can improve their stability or introduce new properties. Particularly, the use of stimuli-responsive microgels makes it possible to create "smart" emulsions whose stability can be controlled by changing any of the specified stimuli. Thus, finding new ways to stabilize emulsions may broaden their application. In this work, for the first time, we applied microgels based on interpenetrating polymeric networks (IPNs) of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as stabilizing agents for "oil-in-water" emulsions. We have demonstrated that emulsions stabilized by such soft particles can remain colloidally stable for an extended period, even after being heated up to 40 °C, which is above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM. On the contrary, the emulsions stabilized by PNIPAM homopolymer microgels were broken upon heating. To understand the stabilization mechanism of the emulsions, mesoscopic computer simulations were performed to study the IPN microgels at the liquid-liquid interface. The simulations demonstrated that when the first subnetwork (PNIPAM) collapses, the particle adopts a flattened core-shell morphology with a highly swollen PAA-rich shell and a collapsed PNIPAM-rich core. Unlike its PNIPAM homopolymer counterpart, the IPN microgel maintains its three-dimensional shape, which provides stability to the microgel-based emulsions over a wide range of temperatures. Our combined findings could be useful in developing new approaches to emulsions' storage, biphasic catalysis, and lubrication of mechanisms in various operating and climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina A Komarova
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1-2, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Rustam A Gumerov
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1-2, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Vladimir Yu Rudyak
- Department of Condensed Matter, School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Elena Yu Kozhunova
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1-2, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Igor I Potemkin
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1-2, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Irina R Nasimova
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1-2, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
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5
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Jiang W, Xiang W, Lu W, Yuan D, Gao Z, Hu B, Li Y, Wu Y, Feng Z. Emulsifying performance of the hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) complexed alginate microgels: Effects from their deformability on oil-water interface. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 253:127509. [PMID: 37865370 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide complexed alginate-Ca2+ microgels (C/AMGs) were developed as emulsifiers, which shown remarkably improved emulsifying performance than non-complexed alginate-Ca2+ microgels (AMGs) in previous study. This work focus on the impact of deformability on the emulsifying performance of C/AMGs. By regulating alginate concentration (1.0-4.0 wt%), microgels with different deformability were prepared. Deformability was proved to have great influence on the emulsifying performance of C/AMGs, which was evaluated by Langmuir trough measurements, emulsion appearance, centrifugation stability, digestive behavior, and oxidative stability. Particle size and SEM images indicated microgels prepared with lower alginate concentration are more deformable. C/AMGs (2.0 wt%) exhibits the best emulsifying performance, which could be ascribed to the appreciated deformability and mechanical strength. Digestive behavior and oxidative stability of alginate-Ca2+ microgel (2.0 wt%) stabilized emulsions were further investigated. Compared with alginate-Ca2+ microgel (2.0 wt%) stabilized emulsions, C/AMGs (2.0 wt%) stabilized emulsions shown delayed lipid digestion and lower POV. Results of this work supporting that Mickering mechanism have potential in fabricating functional emulsions based on natural polysaccharides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxin Jiang
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China; Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China
| | - Wei Xiang
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China; Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China
| | - Wei Lu
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China
| | - Dan Yuan
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China; Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China
| | - Zhiming Gao
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China; Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China.
| | - Bing Hu
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, PR China
| | - Yanlei Li
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China; Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China
| | - Yuehan Wu
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China; Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China
| | - Zhengpeng Feng
- Pro-Health (China), West Ring South Road BDA, Beijing 100176, PR China
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6
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Schmidt MM, Ruiz-Franco J, Bochenek S, Camerin F, Zaccarelli E, Scotti A. Interfacial Fluid Rheology of Soft Particles. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 131:258202. [PMID: 38181345 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.131.258202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
In situ interfacial rheology and numerical simulations are used to investigate microgel monolayers in a wide range of packing fractions, ζ_{2D}. The heterogeneous particle compressibility determines two flow regimes characterized by distinct master curves. To mimic the microgel architecture and reproduce experiments, an interaction potential combining a soft shoulder with the Hertzian model is introduced. In contrast to bulk conditions, the elastic moduli vary nonmonotonically with ζ_{2D} at the interface, confirming long-sought predictions of reentrant behavior for Hertzian-like systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian M Schmidt
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - José Ruiz-Franco
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Steffen Bochenek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Fabrizio Camerin
- Soft Condensed Matter & Biophysics, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Emanuela Zaccarelli
- Italian National Research Council-Institute for Complex Systems (CNR-ISC), Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Scotti
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health and Society, Malmö University, SE-205 06 Malmö, Sweden
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7
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Bochenek S, Rudov AA, Sassmann T, Potemkin II, Richtering W. Influence of Architecture on the Interfacial Properties of Polymers: Linear Chains, Stars, and Microgels. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:18354-18365. [PMID: 38059308 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Surface-active polymers have important applications as effective and responsive emulsifiers, foaming agents, and coatings. In this contribution, we explore the impact of the polymer architecture on the behavior at oil-water interfaces by comparing different poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM)-based systems, namely, monolayers of linear and star-shaped macromolecules, ultralow cross-linked, regular cross-linked, and hollow microgels. Compression isotherms were determined experimentally as well as by computer simulations. The latter provides information about the conformational changes of the individual macromolecules as well as the interfacial properties of the monolayer, including the surface structure and the density distribution of an ensemble of interacting macromolecules near an interface. Surprisingly, the isotherms of the linear polymer, of the star polymer, and of the ultralow cross-linked microgel have an identical shape that differs from the isotherms of regular and hollow microgels. We introduced the mass fraction of adsorbed polymer, which gives a measure of the polymer segments contributing to the isotherm in relation to the most flexible architecture, i.e., the linear polymer, and allows a comparison of polymers with different architectures. The data demonstrate that increasing the number of cross-links leads to a significantly lower amount of polymer in the proximity of the interface as the increase in cross-linker reduces the deformability or softness of the polymers at the interface. The volume fraction profiles along the normal to the interface are essentially different in the microgel monolayers as compared to those in the linear and star polymer. The profiles through the microgel contact line and their growth upon initial compression are similar to those of the linear chains. Herewith, the profiles through the center of mass practically do not change upon compression. Therefore, the initial growth in the microgel surface pressure reveals the polymer-like behavior and is related to the deformation of the peripheral part of the microgel. Further compression of the microgel monolayer leads to 3D interactions of the microgels within the aqueous side of the interface and soft colloid-like behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Bochenek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Andrey A Rudov
- DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Tim Sassmann
- DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Igor I Potemkin
- DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
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8
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Rey M, Kolker J, Richards JA, Malhotra I, Glen TS, Li NYD, Laidlaw FHJ, Renggli D, Vermant J, Schofield AB, Fujii S, Löwen H, Clegg PS. Interactions between interfaces dictate stimuli-responsive emulsion behaviour. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6723. [PMID: 37872193 PMCID: PMC10593850 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42379-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Stimuli-responsive emulsions offer a dual advantage, combining long-term storage with controlled release triggered by external cues such as pH or temperature changes. This study establishes that thermo-responsive emulsion behaviour is primarily determined by interactions between, rather than within, interfaces. Consequently, the stability of these emulsions is intricately tied to the nature of the stabilizing microgel particles - whether they are more polymeric or colloidal, and the morphology they assume at the liquid interface. The colloidal properties of the microgels provide the foundation for the long-term stability of Pickering emulsions. However, limited deformability can lead to non-responsive emulsions. Conversely, the polymeric properties of the microgels enable them to spread and flatten at the liquid interface, enabling stimuli-responsive behaviour. Furthermore, microgels shared between two emulsion droplets in flocculated emulsions facilitate stimuli-responsiveness, regardless of their internal architecture. This underscores the pivotal role of microgel morphology and the forces they exert on liquid interfaces in the control and design of stimuli-responsive emulsions and interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Rey
- School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, UK.
- Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, SE-41296, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Jannis Kolker
- Institute for Theoretical Physics II: Soft Matter, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - James A Richards
- School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Isha Malhotra
- Institute for Theoretical Physics II: Soft Matter, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Thomas S Glen
- School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, UK
| | - N Y Denise Li
- School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Fraser H J Laidlaw
- School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Damian Renggli
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Vermant
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Andrew B Schofield
- School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Syuji Fujii
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka, 535-8585, Japan
- Nanomaterials Microdevices Research Center, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka, 535-8585, Japan
| | - Hartmut Löwen
- Institute for Theoretical Physics II: Soft Matter, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Paul S Clegg
- School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, UK
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9
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Akgonullu DZ, Murray BS, Connell SD, Fang Y, Linter B, Sarkar A. Synthetic and biopolymeric microgels: Review of similarities and difference in behaviour in bulk phases and at interfaces. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 320:102983. [PMID: 37690329 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2023.102983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
This review discusses the current knowledge of interfacial and bulk interactions of biopolymeric microgels in relation to the well-established properties of synthetic microgels for applications as viscosity modifiers and Pickering stabilisers. We present a timeline showing the key milestones in designing microgels and their bulk/ interfacial performance. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) microgels have remained as the protagonist in the synthetic microgel domain whilst proteins or polysaccharides have been primarily used to fabricate biopolymeric microgels. Bulk properties of microgel dispersions are dominated by the volume fraction (ϕ) of the microgel particles, but ϕ is difficult to pinpoint, as addressed by many theoretical models. By evaluating recent experimental studies over the last five years, we find an increasing focus on the analysis of microgel elasticity as a key parameter in modulating their packing at the interfaces, within the provinces of both synthetic and biopolymeric systems. Production methods and physiochemical factors shown to influence microgel swelling in the aqueous phase can have a significant impact on their bulk as well as interfacial performance. Compared to synthetic microgels, biopolymer microgels show a greater tendency for polydispersity and aggregation and do not appear to have a core-corona structure. Comprehensive studies of biopolymeric microgels are still lacking, for example, to accurately determine their inter- and intra- particle interactions, whilst a wider variety of techniques need to be applied in order to allow comparisons to real systems of practical usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisy Z Akgonullu
- Food Colloids and Bioprocessing Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, UK
| | - Brent S Murray
- Food Colloids and Bioprocessing Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, UK
| | - Simon D Connell
- Molecular and Nanoscale Physics Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, UK
| | - Yuan Fang
- PepsiCo, Valhalla, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Anwesha Sarkar
- Food Colloids and Bioprocessing Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, UK.
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10
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Bushuev NV, Gumerov RA, Rudov AA, Potemkin II. Compression and Ordering of Hollow Microgels in Monolayers Formed at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:12420-12429. [PMID: 37611207 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Monolayers of polymer microgels with a spherical cavity adsorbed at the liquid-liquid interface were studied using mesoscopic computer simulations. One liquid, named water, was always considered as a good solvent, while the microgel solubility in the second liquid, named oil, was varied. The symmetric and asymmetric cases of vanishing and the strong differences in solubility between the network particles and the liquids were considered. The simulations provided us with an insight into the shape and volume changes of the microgels upon compression, making it possible to relate the response of the individual network with the collective order and structure of the monolayer. Similar to regular microgels, the compression of the monolayer of hollow particles led to a decrease in lateral sizes accompanied by shape transformation from a flattened to a nearly spherical shape. However, the presence of a cavity filled with solvent caused some unique differences in the behavior of the system. The adsorption pathway of hollow microgels at the liquid interface predefines: (a) the position of the particles with respect to the interface and (b) the structure of the monolayer. A striking discovery is that in the symmetric case of similar solubility of the microgel in both liquids, it is possible to produce a monolayer in which one part of the network faces the aqueous phase and the other part faces the oil phase. The polymer concentration profiles plotted along the normal to the interface reveal a redistribution of polymeric mass of the microgels relative to the interface, distinguishing between the microgels whose cavities are filled with water and oil, respectively. Moreover, the ratio between the microgels faced in water and oil does not change upon compression and predetermines the response and order of the monolayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita V Bushuev
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Rustam A Gumerov
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Andrey A Rudov
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Igor I Potemkin
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
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11
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Jiang W, Wang J, Yuan D, Gao Z, Hu B, Li Y, Wu Y. Fabrication, characterization and emulsifying properties of agarose microgel. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 241:124565. [PMID: 37100331 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Agarose microgels were prepared with bottom-up approach, and the emulsifying properties of agarose microgels were investigated. Physical properties of microgels are varied with agarose concentration, and further affect the emulsifying performance of microgels. Enhanced surface hydrophobicity index and decreased particle size of microgels was recorded with the increasing of agarose concentration, which was conducive to emulsifying properties of microgels. Improved interfacial adsorption of microgels was evidenced by Dynamic surface tension and SEM. However, microscopic morphology of microgel at O/W interface indicated that increasing agarose concentration could weaken the deformability of microgels. The influence of external conditions (pH and NaCl) on the physical properties of microgels were investigated, and their effects on the emulsion stability were evaluated. Compared with acidification, NaCl was appeared to be more destructive to emulsion stability. Results indicated acidification and NaCl could decrease surface hydrophobicity index of microgels, but there was differentiation in the variation of particle size. It was inferred that deformability of microgels could make contribution to the stability of emulsion. This study verified that microgelation was a feasible scheme to improve the interfacial properties of agarose, and the influence of agarose concentration, pH, and NaCl on the emulsifying performance of microgels was investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxin Jiang
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China
| | - Jing Wang
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China
| | - Dan Yuan
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China
| | - Zhiming Gao
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China.
| | - Bing Hu
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioresources Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian 116600, China
| | - Yanlei Li
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China
| | - Yuehan Wu
- Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Nanli Road, Wuhan 430068, PR China
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12
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Petrunin AV, Bochenek S, Richtering W, Scotti A. Harnessing the polymer-particle duality of ultra-soft nanogels to stabilise smart emulsions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:2810-2820. [PMID: 36052753 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp02700c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Micro- and nanogels are widely used to stabilise emulsions and simultaneously implement their responsiveness to the external stimuli. One of the factors that improves the emulsion stability is the nanogel softness. Here, we study how the softest nanogels that can be synthesised with precipitation polymerisation of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), the ultra-low crosslinked (ULC) nanogels, stabilise oil-in-water emulsions. We show that ULC nanogels can efficiently stabilise emulsions already at low mass concentrations. These emulsions are resistant to droplet flocculation, stable against coalescence, and can be easily broken upon an increase in temperature. The resistance to flocculation of the ULC-stabilised emulsion droplets is similar to the one of emulsions stabilised by linear pNIPAM. In contrast, the stability against coalescence and the temperature-responsiveness closely resemble those of emulsions stabilised by regularly crosslinked pNIPAM nanogels. The reason for this combination of properties is that ULC nanogels can be thought of as colloids in between flexible macromolecules and particles. As a polymer, ULC nanogels can efficiently stretch at the interface and cover it uniformly. As a regularly crosslinked nanogel particle, ULC nanogels protect emulsion droplets against coalescence by providing a steric barrier and rapidly respond to changes in external stimuli thus breaking the emulsion. This polymer-particle duality of ULC nanogels can be exploited to improve the properties of emulsions for various applications, for example in heterogeneous catalysis or in food science.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steffen Bochenek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
| | - Andrea Scotti
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
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13
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Kuk K, Abgarjan V, Gregel L, Zhou Y, Carrasco Fadanelli V, Buttinoni I, Karg M. Compression of colloidal monolayers at liquid interfaces: in situ vs. ex situ investigation. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:175-188. [PMID: 36426847 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01125e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The assembly of colloidal particles at liquid/liquid or air/liquid interfaces is a versatile procedure to create microstructured monolayers and study their behavior under compression. When combined with soft and deformable particles such as microgels, compression is used to tune not only the interparticle distance but also the underlying microstructure of the monolayer. So far, the great majority of studies on microgel-laden interfaces are conducted ex situ after transfer to solid substrates, for example, via Langmuir-Blodgett deposition. This type of analysis relies on the stringent assumption that the microstructure is conserved during transfer and subsequent drying. In this work, we couple a Langmuir trough to a custom-built small-angle light scattering setup to monitor colloidal monolayers in situ during compression. By comparing the results with ex situ and in situ microscopy measurements, we conclude that Langmuir-Blodgett deposition can alter the structural properties of the colloidal monolayers significantly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keumkyung Kuk
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Vahan Abgarjan
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Lukas Gregel
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Yichu Zhou
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Virginia Carrasco Fadanelli
- Institut für Experimentelle Physik der kondensierten Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ivo Buttinoni
- Institut für Experimentelle Physik der kondensierten Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Matthias Karg
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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14
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Yang Y, Sha L, Zhao H, Guo Z, Wu M, Lu P. Recent advances in cellulose microgels: Preparations and functionalized applications. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 311:102815. [PMID: 36427465 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2022.102815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Microgels are soft, deformable, permeable, and stimuli-responsive microscopic polymeric particles that are now emerging as prospective multifunctional soft materials for delivery systems, interface stabilization, cell cultures and tissue engineering. Cellulose microgels are emerging biopolymeric microgels with unique characteristics such as abound hydroxyl structure, admirable designability, multiscale pore network and excellent biocompatibility. This review summarizes the fabrication strategies for microgel, then highlights the fabrication routes for cellulose microgels, and finally elaborates cellulose microgels' bright application prospects with unique characteristics in the fields of controlled release, interface stabilization, coating, purification, nutrition/drug delivery, and bio-fabrication. The challenges to be addressed for further applications and considerable scope for development in future of cellulose microgels are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yang
- College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp and Papermaking and Pollution Control, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China
| | - Lishan Sha
- College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp and Papermaking and Pollution Control, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China
| | - Han Zhao
- College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp and Papermaking and Pollution Control, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China
| | - Zhaojun Guo
- College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp and Papermaking and Pollution Control, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China
| | - Min Wu
- College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp and Papermaking and Pollution Control, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China
| | - Peng Lu
- College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp and Papermaking and Pollution Control, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China.
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15
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Kühnhammer M, Gräff K, Loran E, Soltwedel O, Löhmann O, Frielinghaus H, von Klitzing R. Structure formation of PNIPAM microgels in foams and foam films. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:9249-9262. [PMID: 36440620 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01021f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Responsive aqueous foams are very interesting from a fundamental point of view and for various applications like foam flooding or foam flotation. In this study thermoresponsive microgels (MGs) made from poly(N-isopropyl-acrylamide) (PNIPAM) with varying cross-linker content, are used as foam stabilisers. The foams obtained are thermoresponsive and can be destabilised by increasing the temperature. The structuring of MGs inside the foam films is investigated with small-angle neutron scattering and in a thin film pressure balance. The foam films are inhomogeneous and form a network-like structure, in which thin and MG depleted zones with a thickness of ca. 30 nm are interspersed in a continuous network of thick MG containing areas with a thickness of several 100 nm. The thickness of this continuous network is related to the elastic modulus of the individual MGs, which was determined by atomic force microscopy indentation experiments. Both, the elastic moduli and foam film thicknesses, indicate a correlation to the network elasticity of the MGs predicted by the affine network model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Kühnhammer
- Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstraße 8, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Kevin Gräff
- Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstraße 8, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Edwin Loran
- Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstraße 8, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Olaf Soltwedel
- Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstraße 8, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Oliver Löhmann
- Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstraße 8, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Henrich Frielinghaus
- Jülich Center for Neutron Science at the Heinz Maier Leibnitz Zentrum, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Lichtenbergstrasse 1, 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Regine von Klitzing
- Institute for Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulstraße 8, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany.
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16
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Vialetto J, Ramakrishna SN, Isa L. In situ imaging of the three-dimensional shape of soft responsive particles at fluid interfaces by atomic force microscopy. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq2019. [PMID: 36351021 PMCID: PMC9645722 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The reconfiguration of individual soft and deformable particles upon adsorption at a fluid interface underpins many aspects of their dynamics and interactions, ultimately regulating the properties of monolayers of relevance for applications. In this work, we demonstrate that atomic force microscopy can be used for the in situ reconstruction of the three-dimensional conformation of model poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgels adsorbed at an oil-water interface. We image the particle topography from both sides of the interface to characterize its in-plane deformation and to visualize the occurrence of asymmetric swelling in the two fluids. In addition, the technique enables investigating different fluid phases and particle architectures, as well as studying the effect of temperature variations on particle conformation in situ. We envisage that these results open up an exciting range of possibilities to provide microscopic insights into the single-particle behavior of soft objects at fluid interfaces and into the resulting macroscopic material properties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lucio Isa
- Corresponding author. (J.V.); (S.N.R.); (L.I.)
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17
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Feller D, Karg M. Fluid interface-assisted assembly of soft microgels: recent developments for structures beyond hexagonal packing. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:6301-6312. [PMID: 35993260 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00872f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microgels adsorb to air/water and oil/water interfaces - a process driven by a significant reduction in interfacial tension. Depending on the available interface area per microgel, strong lateral deformation can be observed. Typically, hexagonally ordered structures appear spontaneously upon contact of the microgel shells. Transfer from the interface to solid substrates gives access to macroscopically sized microgel monolayers that are interesting for photonic and plasmonic studies as well as colloid-based lithography, for example. Significant efforts have been made to understand the phase behavior of microgels at different interfaces and to explore the available parameter space for achieving complex tessellations. In this review, we will discuss the most recent developments in the realization of microgel monolayers with structures beyond hexagonal packing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Déborah Feller
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Matthias Karg
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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18
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Ickler M, Menath J, Holstein L, Rey M, Buzza DMA, Vogel N. Interfacial self-assembly of SiO 2-PNIPAM core-shell particles with varied crosslinking density. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:5585-5597. [PMID: 35849635 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00644h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Spherical particles confined to liquid interfaces generally self-assemble into hexagonal patterns. It was theoretically predicted by Jagla two decades ago that such particles interacting via a soft repulsive potential are able to form complex, anisotropic assembly phases. Depending on the shape and range of the potential, the predicted minimum energy configurations include chains, rhomboid and square phases. We recently demonstrated that deformable core-shell particles consisting of a hard silica core and a soft poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) shell adsorbed at an air/water interface can form chain phases if the crosslinker is primarily incorporated around the silica core. Here, we systematically investigate the interfacial self-assembly behavior of such SiO2-PNIPAM core-shell particles as a function of crosslinker content and core size. We observe chain networks predominantly at low crosslinking densities and smaller core sizes, whereas higher crosslinking densities lead to the formation of rhomboid packing. We correlate these results with the interfacial morphologies of the different particle systems, where the ability to expand at the interface and form a thin corona at the periphery depends on the degree of crosslinking close to the core. We perform minimum energy calculations based on Jagla-type pair potentials with different shapes of the soft repulsive shoulder. We compare the theoretical phase diagram with experimental findings to infer to which extent the interfacial interactions of the experimental system may be captured by Jagla pair-wise interaction potentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maret Ickler
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
- Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Johannes Menath
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
- Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Laura Holstein
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
- Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Marcel Rey
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
- Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, UK
| | - D Martin A Buzza
- G W Gray Centre for Advanced Materials, Department of Physics & Mathematics, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Nicolas Vogel
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
- Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
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19
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Bochenek S, Camerin F, Zaccarelli E, Maestro A, Schmidt MM, Richtering W, Scotti A. In-situ study of the impact of temperature and architecture on the interfacial structure of microgels. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3744. [PMID: 35768399 PMCID: PMC9243037 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31209-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The structural characterization of microgels at interfaces is fundamental to understand both their 2D phase behavior and their role as stabilizers that enable emulsions to be broken on demand. However, this characterization is usually limited by available experimental techniques, which do not allow a direct investigation at interfaces. To overcome this difficulty, here we employ neutron reflectometry, which allows us to probe the structure and responsiveness of the microgels in-situ at the air-water interface. We investigate two types of microgels with different cross-link density, thus having different softness and deformability, both below and above their volume phase transition temperature, by combining experiments with computer simulations of in silico synthesized microgels. We find that temperature only affects the portion of microgels in water, while the strongest effect of the microgels softness is observed in their ability to protrude into the air. In particular, standard microgels have an apparent contact angle of few degrees, while ultra-low cross-linked microgels form a flat polymeric layer with zero contact angle. Altogether, this study provides an in-depth microscopic description of how different microgel architectures affect their arrangements at interfaces, and will be the foundation for a better understanding of their phase behavior and assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Bochenek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Fabrizio Camerin
- CNR-ISC, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Roma, Italy.,Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Roma, Italy
| | - Emanuela Zaccarelli
- CNR-ISC, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Roma, Italy.,Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Roma, Italy
| | - Armando Maestro
- Institut Laue-Langevin ILL DS/LSS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000, Grenoble, France.,Centro de Fısica de Materiales (CSIC, UPV/EHU) - Materials Physics Center MPC, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 5, 20018, San Sebastián, Spain.,IKERBASQUE-Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48009, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Maximilian M Schmidt
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Andrea Scotti
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
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20
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Scotti A, Schulte MF, Lopez CG, Crassous JJ, Bochenek S, Richtering W. How Softness Matters in Soft Nanogels and Nanogel Assemblies. Chem Rev 2022; 122:11675-11700. [PMID: 35671377 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Softness plays a key role in determining the macroscopic properties of colloidal systems, from synthetic nanogels to biological macromolecules, from viruses to star polymers. However, we are missing a way to quantify what the term "softness" means in nanoscience. Having quantitative parameters is fundamental to compare different systems and understand what the consequences of softness on the macroscopic properties are. Here, we propose different quantities that can be measured using scattering methods and microscopy experiments. On the basis of these quantities, we review the recent literature on micro- and nanogels, i.e. cross-linked polymer networks swollen in water, a widely used model system for soft colloids. Applying our criteria, we address the question what makes a nanomaterial soft? We discuss and introduce general criteria to quantify the different definitions of softness for an individual compressible colloid. This is done in terms of the energetic cost associated with the deformation and the capability of the colloid to isotropically deswell. Then, concentrated solutions of soft colloids are considered. New definitions of softness and new parameters, which depend on the particle-to-particle interactions, are introduced in terms of faceting and interpenetration. The influence of the different synthetic routes on the softness of nanogels is discussed. Concentrated solutions of nanogels are considered and we review the recent results in the literature concerning the phase behavior and flow properties of nanogels both in three and two dimensions, in the light of the different parameters we defined. The aim of this review is to look at the results on micro- and nanogels in a more quantitative way that allow us to explain the reported properties in terms of differences in colloidal softness. Furthermore, this review can give researchers dealing with soft colloids quantitative methods to define unambiguously which softness matters in their compound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Scotti
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - M Friederike Schulte
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Carlos G Lopez
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Jérôme J Crassous
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Steffen Bochenek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
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21
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Gumerov RA, Rudyak VY, Gavrilov AA, Chertovich AV, Potemkin II. Effect of network topology and crosslinker reactivity on microgel structure and ordering at liquid-liquid interface. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:3738-3747. [PMID: 35506715 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00269h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Polymer microgels synthesized in silico were studied at a liquid-liquid interface via mesoscopic computer simulations and compared to microgels with ideal (diamond-like) structure. The effect of crosslinkers reactivity ratio on the single particle morphology at the interface and monolayer behavior was examined. It was demonstrated that single particles deform into an explicit core-corona morphology when adsorbed at the interface. An increase in the crosslinker reactivity ratio decreased both the deformation ratio and the ratio between the core and corona sizes. Meanwhile, the compression of microgel monolayers revealed the existence of five distinct interparticle contact regimes, which have been observed experimentally in the literature. The crosslinker reactivity ratio appeared to define the compression range in these regimes and the sharpness of the transition between them. In particular, the higher the crosslinker reactivity ratio, the smaller the corona, and in turn, the narrower the range of the intermediate regime comprising both core-core and corona-corona contacts. The obtained results demonstrate that the more realistic model of microgels synthesized via precipitation polymerization allows for a more accurate prediction of the properties of the microgels at a liquid-liquid interface in comparison to the conventional diamond-like lattice model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rustam A Gumerov
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation.
| | - Vladimir Yu Rudyak
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation.
| | - Alexey A Gavrilov
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation.
| | - Alexander V Chertovich
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation.
- Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Igor I Potemkin
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation.
- National Research South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk 454080, Russian Federation
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22
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Liu P, Freeley M, Zarbakhsh A, Resmini M. Adsorption of soft NIPAM nanogels at hydrophobic and hydrophilic interfaces: Conformation of the interfacial layers determined by neutron reflectivity. J Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 623:337-347. [PMID: 35594592 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The application of stimuli-responsive microgels and nanogels in drug delivery, catalysis, sensing, and coatings is restricted currently by the limited understanding of the factors influencing their adsorption dynamics and structural changes at interfaces. We have used neutron reflectivity to resolve, on the Ångström scale, the structure of 5% crosslinked N-isopropylacrylamide nanogels at both hydrophobic and hydrophilic interfaces in situ, as a function of temperature and bulk nanogel concentration. Our results show that the higher flexibility given by the low crosslinker content allows for a more ordered structure and packing. The adsorption of the thermoresponsive nanogels is primarily driven by temperature, more specifically its proximity to its volume phase transition temperature, while concentration plays a secondary role. Hydrophobic interactions drive the conformation of the first layer at the interface, which plays a key role in influencing the overall nanogel structure. The mobility of the first layer at the air-water interface as opposed to the interfacial confinement at the solid (SiC8)-liquid interface, results in a different conformation, a more compact and less deformed packing structure, which ultimately drives the structure of the subsequent layers. The evidence for the different structural conformations determined by the degree of hydrophobicity of the interface provides new knowledge, which is essential for the development of further applications. The key role of hydrophobic interactions in driving adsorption and interfacial behavior was also confirmed by fluid AFM experiments which visualized adherence of the nanogels to SiC8 modified surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Liu
- Department of Chemistry, SPCS, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Mark Freeley
- Department of Chemistry, SPCS, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Ali Zarbakhsh
- Department of Chemistry, SPCS, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK.
| | - Marina Resmini
- Department of Chemistry, SPCS, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK.
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23
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Nickel AC, Kratzenberg T, Bochenek S, Schmidt MM, Rudov AA, Falkenstein A, Potemkin II, Crassous JJ, Richtering W. Anisotropic Microgels Show Their Soft Side. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:5063-5080. [PMID: 34586813 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c01748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Anisotropic, submicrometer-sized particles are versatile systems providing interesting features in creating ordering in two-dimensional systems. Combining hard ellipsoids with a soft shell further enhances the opportunities to trigger and control order and alignment. In this work, we report rich 2D phase behavior and show how softness affects the ordering of anisotropic particles at fluid oil-water interfaces. Three different core-shell systems were synthesized such that they have the same elliptical hematite-silica core but differ with respect to thickness and stiffness of the soft microgel shell. Compression isotherms, the shape of individual core-shell microgels, and their 2D order at a decane-water interface are investigated by means of the Langmuir-Blodgett technique combined with ex-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging as well as dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations. We show how the softness, size, and anisotropy of the microgel shell affect the side-to-side vs tip-to-tip ordering of anisotropic hybrid microgels as well as the alignment with respect to the direction of compression in the Langmuir trough. A large, soft microgel shell leads to an ordered structure with tip-to-tip alignment directed perpendicular to the direction of compression. In contrast, a thin and harder microgel shell leads to side-to-side ordering orientated parallel to the compression direction. In addition, the thin and harder microgel shell induces clustering of the microgels in the dilute state, indicating the presence of strong capillary interactions. Our findings highlight the relevance of softness for the complex ordering of anisotropic hybrid microgels at interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne C Nickel
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Timon Kratzenberg
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Steffen Bochenek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Maximilian M Schmidt
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Andrey A Rudov
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
- DWI Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Andreas Falkenstein
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Igor I Potemkin
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
- DWI Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
- National Research South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk 454080, Russia
| | - Jérôme J Crassous
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
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24
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Nickel AC, Rudov AA, Potemkin II, Crassous JJ, Richtering W. Interfacial Assembly of Anisotropic Core-Shell and Hollow Microgels. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:4351-4363. [PMID: 35349289 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microgels, cross-linked polymers with submicrometer size, are ideal soft model systems. While spherical microgels have been studied extensively, anisotropic microgels have hardly been investigated. In this study, we compare the interfacial deformation and assembly of anisotropic core-shell and hollow microgels. The core-shell microgel consists of an elliptical core of hematite covered with a thin silica layer and a thin shell made of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). The hollow microgels were obtained after a two-step etching procedure of the inorganic core. The behavior of these microgels at the oil-water interface was investigated in a Langmuir-Blodgett trough combined with ex situ atomic force microscopy. First, the influence of the architecture of anisotropic microgels on their spreading at the interface was investigated experimentally and by dissipative particle dynamic simulations. Hereby, the importance of the local shell thickness on the lateral and longitudinal interfacial deformation was highlighted as well as the differences between the core-shell and hollow architectures. The shape of the compression isotherms as well as the dimensions, ordering, and orientation of the microgels at the different compressions were analyzed. Due to their anisotropic shape and stiffness, both anisotropic microgels were found to exhibit significant capillary interactions with a preferential side-to-side assembly leading to stable microgel clusters at low interfacial coverage. Such capillary interactions were found to decrease in the case of the more deformable hollow anisotropic microgels. Consequently, anisotropic hollow microgels were found to distribute more evenly at high surface pressure compared to stiffer core-shell microgels. Our findings emphasize the complex interplay between the colloid design, anisotropy, and softness on the interfacial assembly and the opportunities it therefore offers to create more complex ordered interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne C Nickel
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Andrey A Rudov
- DWI-Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Igor I Potemkin
- DWI-Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Jérôme J Crassous
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany, European Union
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25
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Guzmán E, Maestro A. Soft Colloidal Particles at Fluid Interfaces. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14061133. [PMID: 35335463 PMCID: PMC8956102 DOI: 10.3390/polym14061133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The assembly of soft colloidal particles at fluid interfaces is reviewed in the present paper, with emphasis on the particular case of microgels formed by cross-linked polymer networks. The dual polymer/colloid character as well as the stimulus responsiveness of microgel particles pose a challenge in their experimental characterization and theoretical description when adsorbed to fluid interfaces. This has led to a controversial and, in some cases, contradictory picture that cannot be rationalized by considering microgels as simple colloids. Therefore, it is necessary to take into consideration the microgel polymer/colloid duality for a physically reliable description of the behavior of the microgel-laden interface. In fact, different aspects related to the above-mentioned duality control the organization of microgels at the fluid interface, and the properties and responsiveness of the obtained microgel-laden interfaces. This works present a critical revision of different physicochemical aspects involving the behavior of individual microgels confined at fluid interfaces, as well as the collective behaviors emerging in dense microgel assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Guzmán
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Paseo de Juan XXIII, 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: (E.G.); (A.M.)
| | - Armando Maestro
- Centro de Física de Materiales (CSIC, UPV/EHU), Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 5, 20018 San Sebastian, Spain
- IKERBASQUE—Basque Foundation for Science, Plaza Euskadi 5, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
- Correspondence: (E.G.); (A.M.)
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26
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Jiang H, Zhang S, Sun G, Li Y, Guan X, Yang C, Ngai T. Engineering hybrid microgels as particulate emulsifiers for reversible Pickering emulsions. Chem Sci 2021; 13:39-43. [PMID: 35059148 PMCID: PMC8694365 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc05398a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Thermo-responsive microgels are unique stabilizers for stimuli-sensitive Pickering emulsions that can be switched between the state of emulsification and demulsification by changing the temperature. However, directly temperature-triggering the phase inversion of microgel-stabilized emulsions remains a great challenge. Here, a hybrid poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based microgel has now been successfully fabricated with tunable wettability from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity in a controlled manner. Engineered microgels are synthesized from an inverse emulsion stabilized with hydrophobic silica nanoparticles, and the swelling-induced feature can make the resultant microgel behave like either hydrophilic or hydrophobic colloids. Remarkably, the phase inversion of such microgel-stabilized Pickering emulsions can be in situ regulated by temperature change. Moreover, the engineered microgels were capable of stabilizing water-in-oil Pickering emulsions and encapsulation of enzymes for interfacial bio-catalysis, as well as rapid cargo release triggered by phase inversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Jiang
- The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education & School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 P. R. China
| | - Shengwei Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education & School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 P. R. China
| | - Guanqing Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education & School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 P. R. China
| | - Yunxing Li
- The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education & School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 P. R. China
| | - Xin Guan
- Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shatin, N. T. Hong Kong P. R. China
| | - Cheng Yang
- The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education & School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 P. R. China
| | - To Ngai
- The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education & School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 P. R. China
- Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shatin, N. T. Hong Kong P. R. China
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27
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Nanogels: An overview of properties, biomedical applications, future research trends and developments. J Mol Struct 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2021.130446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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28
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In situ determination of the structure and composition of Langmuir monolayers at the air/water interface by neutron and X-ray reflectivity and ellipsometry. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 293:102434. [PMID: 34022749 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2021.102434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This review focuses on the description of the structure and composition of a variety of Langmuir monolayers (LMs) deposited at the air/water interface by using ellipsometry, Brewster Angle microscopy and scattering techniques, mainly neutron and X-ray reflectometry. Since the first experiment done by Angels Pockels with a homemade trough in her home kitchen until today, LMs of different materials have been extensively studied providing not only relevant model systems in biology, physics and chemistry but also precursors of novel materials via their deposition on solid substrates. There is a vast amount of surface-active materials that can form LMs and, therefore, far from a revision of the state-of-the-art, we will emphasize here: (i) some fundamental aspects to understand the physics behind the molecular deposition at the air/water interface; (ii) the advantages in using in situ techniques, such as reflectometry or ellipsometry, to resolve the interfacial architecture and conformation of molecular films; and, finally, (iii) a summary of several systems that have certain interest from the experimental or conceptual point of view. Concretely, we will report here advances in polymers confined to interfaces and surfactants, from fatty acids and phospholipids monolayers to more unconventional ones such as graphene oxide.
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29
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Dan A, Agnihotri P, Bochenek S, Richtering W. Adsorption dynamics of thermoresponsive microgels with incorporated short oligo(ethylene glycol) chains at the oil-water interface. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:6127-6139. [PMID: 34076021 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00146a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we report a systematic study of the adsorption behaviour of short oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) chains incorporated into poly(N-isopropylaccrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgels at the dodecane-water interface as a function of the microgel concentration at two different temperatures: 298 and 313 K. The dynamic interfacial tension of the interface for the adsorption of these functional microgels is measured by means of a pendent drop method. We find that similar to pure PNIPAM microgels, the functionalized microgels initially get transported from the bulk to the interface, where they undergo the deformability dependent spreading process, and thus leading to a reduction of interfacial tension. However, the OEG chains significantly influence the dynamic processes of the microgels at the interface, enabling precise control over the interfacial activity. A tuneability of adsorption behaviour that is interpreted in terms of the diversity of structural and morphological features of the microgels, can be achieved by changing the temperature and/or the OEG chain length of the comonomer. While the temperature induced phase transition generally slows down the adsorption kinetics of the microgels, increasing the temperature from 298 to 313 K allows faster reduction of interfacial tension for the adsorption of the microgels with long OEG chains among the studied comonomers, making them a unique interfacially active functional material. Overall, incorporation of OEG chains allows tailoring the interfacial activity of microgels, thereby paving the way for the use of these microgels to act as effective Pickering emulsion stabilizers in a range of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhijit Dan
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University - Chandigarh, Sector 14, Chandigarh 160014, India.
| | - Priyanshi Agnihotri
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University - Chandigarh, Sector 14, Chandigarh 160014, India.
| | - Steffen Bochenek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany
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30
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Kolker J, Harrer J, Ciarella S, Rey M, Ickler M, Janssen LMC, Vogel N, Löwen H. Interface-induced hysteretic volume phase transition of microgels: simulation and experiment. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:5581-5589. [PMID: 33988219 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00111f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Thermo-responsive microgel particles can exhibit a drastic volume shrinkage upon increasing the solvent temperature. Recently we found that the spreading of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAm) microgels at a liquid interface under the influence of surface tension hinders the temperature-induced volume phase transition. In addition, we observed a hysteresis behavior upon temperature cycling, i.e. a different evolution in microgel size and shape depending on whether the microgel was initially adsorbed to the interface in expanded or collapsed state. Here, we model the volume phase transition of such microgels at an air/water interface by monomer-resolved Brownian dynamics simulations and compare the observed behavior with experiments. We reproduce the experimentally observed hysteresis in the microgel dimensions upon temperature variation. Our simulations did not observe any hysteresis for microgels dispersed in the bulk liquid, suggesting that it results from the distinct interfacial morphology of the microgel adsorbed at the liquid interface. An initially collapsed microgel brought to the interface and subjected to subsequent swelling and collapsing (resp. cooling and heating) will end up in a larger size than it had in the original collapsed state. Further temperature cycling, however, only shows a much reduced hysteresis, in agreement with our experimental observations. We attribute the hysteretic behavior to a kinetically trapped initial collapsed configuration, which relaxes upon expanding in the swollen state. We find a similar behavior for linear PNiPAm chains adsorbed to an interface. Our combined experimental - simulation investigation provides new insights into the volume phase transition of PNiPAm materials adsorbed to liquid interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannis Kolker
- Institut für Theoretische Physik II, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Johannes Harrer
- Institute of Particle Technology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Simone Ciarella
- Soft Matter and Biological Physics, Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P. O. Box 513, 5600MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Rey
- Institute of Particle Technology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Maret Ickler
- Institute of Particle Technology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Liesbeth M C Janssen
- Soft Matter and Biological Physics, Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P. O. Box 513, 5600MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Nicolas Vogel
- Institute of Particle Technology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Hartmut Löwen
- Institut für Theoretische Physik II, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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31
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Scotti A. Characterization of the volume fraction of soft deformable microgels by means of small-angle neutron scattering with contrast variation. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:5548-5559. [PMID: 33978056 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00277e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The volume occupied by colloids in a suspension - namely the volume fraction - is the thermodynamic variable that determines the phase behavior of these systems. While for hard incompressible spheres this quantity is well defined, for soft compressible colloids such as microgels - polymeric crosslinked networks swollen in a good solvent - the determination of the real volume occupied by these particles in solution is particularly challenging. This fact depends on two aspects: first the surface and, therefore, the volume of the microgels is hard to define properly given their external fuzziness; second, microgels can osmotically deswell, deform or interpenetrate their neighbors, i.e. change their shape and size depending on the solution concentration. Here, the form factors of few hydrogenated microgels embedded in a matrix of deuterated but otherwise identical microgels are measured using small-angle neutron scattering with contrast variation. From the analysis of the scattering data, the variation of the volume of the microgels as a function of concentration is obtained and used to calculate the real microgel volume fraction in solution. Soft neutral microgels are shown to facet already at low concentrations while in contrast, harder microgels maintain their shape and change their volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Scotti
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany.
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32
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Ciarella S, Rey M, Harrer J, Holstein N, Ickler M, Löwen H, Vogel N, Janssen LMC. Soft Particles at Liquid Interfaces: From Molecular Particle Architecture to Collective Phase Behavior. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:5364-5375. [PMID: 33886318 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c00541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Soft particles such as microgels can undergo significant and anisotropic deformations when adsorbed to a liquid interface. This, in turn, leads to a complex phase behavior upon compression. To date, experimental efforts have predominantly provided phenomenological links between microgel structure and resulting interfacial behavior, while simulations have not been entirely successful in reproducing experiments or predicting the minimal requirements for the desired phase behavior. Here, we develop a multiscale framework to link the molecular particle architecture to the resulting interfacial morphology and, ultimately, to the collective interfacial phase behavior. To this end, we investigate interfacial morphologies of different poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) particle systems using phase-contrast atomic force microscopy and correlate the distinct interfacial morphology with their bulk molecular architecture. We subsequently introduce a new coarse-grained simulation method that uses augmented potentials to translate this interfacial morphology into the resulting phase behavior upon compression. The main novelty of this method is the possibility to efficiently encode multibody interactions, the effects of which are key to distinguishing between heterostructural (anisotropic collapse) and isostructural (isotropic collapse) phase transitions. Our approach allows us to qualitatively resolve existing discrepancies between experiments and simulations. Notably, we demonstrate the first in silico account of the two-dimensional isostructural transition, which is frequently found in experiments but elusive in simulations. In addition, we provide the first experimental demonstration of a heterostructural transition to a chain phase in a single-component system, which has been theoretically predicted decades ago. Overall, our multiscale framework provides a phenomenological bridge between physicochemical soft-particle characteristics at the molecular scale and nanoscale and the collective self-assembly phenomenology at the macroscale, serving as a stepping stone toward an ultimately more quantitative and predictive design approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Ciarella
- Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Rey
- Institute of Particle Technology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Johannes Harrer
- Institute of Particle Technology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nicolas Holstein
- Institute of Particle Technology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Maret Ickler
- Institute of Particle Technology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Hartmut Löwen
- Institute for Theoretical Physics II: Soft Matter, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Nicolas Vogel
- Institute of Particle Technology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Liesbeth M C Janssen
- Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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33
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Fernandez-Rodriguez MA, Martín-Molina A, Maldonado-Valderrama J. Microgels at interfaces, from mickering emulsions to flat interfaces and back. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 288:102350. [PMID: 33418470 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2020.102350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In this review, we cover the topic of p(NIPAM) based microgels at interfaces, revisiting classical studies in light of the newest ones. In particular, we focus on their use as emulsifiers in the so-called mickering emulsions, i.e. Pickering emulsion stabilized by soft particles. Given the complexity of the experimental characterization and simulation of these soft particles at interfaces, the review is structured in progressive complexity levels, until we reach the highly interesting and promising responsiveness to stimuli of mickering emulsions. We start from the lowest level of complexity, the current understanding of the behavior of single microgels confined at a flat interface. Then, we discuss their collective behavior upon crowding, their responsiveness at interfaces, and their macroscopic properties as microgel films. Once we have the necessary characterization tools, we proceed to discuss the complex and convoluted picture of responsive mickering emulsions. The way is rough, with current controversial and contradicting studies, but it holds promising results as well. We state open questions worth of being tackled by the Soft Matter community, and we conclude that it is worth the trouble of continuing after the master theory of microgel interfacial activity, as it will pave the way to widely adopt responsive mickering emulsions as the worthy Pickering emulsion successors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alberto Martín-Molina
- Department of Applied Physics, University of Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain; Institute Carlos I for Theoretical and Computational Physics, University of Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Julia Maldonado-Valderrama
- Department of Applied Physics, University of Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain; Excellence Unit "ModellingNature" (MNat), , University of Granada, Spain.
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34
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Bochenek S, Scotti A, Richtering W. Temperature-sensitive soft microgels at interfaces: air-water versus oil-water. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:976-988. [PMID: 33284940 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01774d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The formation of smart emulsions or foams whose stability can be controlled on-demand by switching external parameters is of great interest for basic research and applications. An emerging group of smart stabilizers are microgels, which are nano- and micro-sized, three-dimensional polymer networks that are swollen by a good solvent. In the last decades, the influence of various external stimuli on the two-dimensional phase behavior of microgels at air- and oil-water interfaces has been studied. However, the impact of the top-phase itself has been barely considered. Here, we present data that directly address the influence of the top-phase on the microgel properties at interfaces. The dimensions of pNIPAM microgels are measured after deposition from two interfaces, i.e., air- and decane-water. While the total in-plane size of the microgel increases with increasing interfacial tension, the portions or fractions of the microgels situated in the aqueous phase are not affected. We correlate the area microgels occupy to the surface tensions of the interfaces, which allows to estimate an elastic modulus. In comparison to nanoindentation measurements, we observe a larger elastic modulus for the microgels. By combining compression, deposition, and visualization, we show that the two-dimensional phase behavior of the microgel monolayers is not altered, although the microgels have a larger total in-plane size at higher interfacial tension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Bochenek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
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Microgels self-assembly at liquid/liquid interface as stabilizers of emulsion: Past, present & future. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 287:102333. [PMID: 33360120 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2020.102333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The most recent developments on Pickering emulsions deal with the design of responsive emulsions able to undergo fast destabilization under the effect of an external stimulus. In this scenario, soft colloidal particles like microgels are considered novel class suitable emulsifiers. Microgels particles self-assemblies are highly deformable at interfaces covering higher surfaces than hard particles and their interfacial behavior strongly depends on external-stimuli. Microgels are very diverse owing to the large variety of them from the point of view of possible combinations of stimuli-responsiveness and different microstructures (crosslinking density and distribution). Herein, we illustrate the use of different types of responsive microgels not only from a structural point of view but also even from physical one. For that, the effect of different microgels parameters such as internal structure and charge density on mechanical properties of the interface will be discussed.
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Vdovchenko A, Pearce AK, Freeley M, O'Reilly RK, Resmini M. Effect of heterogeneous and homogeneous polymerisation on the structure of pNIPAm nanogels. Polym Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d1py01333e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The choice of the polymerisation temperature and initiator in the synthesis of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based nanogels can significantly influence their structure, morphology and thermoresponsive properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Vdovchenko
- School of Physical and Chemical Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Amanda K. Pearce
- School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Mark Freeley
- School of Physical and Chemical Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | | | - Marina Resmini
- School of Physical and Chemical Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
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Bochenek S, McNamee CE, Kappl M, Butt HJ, Richtering W. Interactions between a responsive microgel monolayer and a rigid colloid: from soft to hard interfaces. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:16754-16766. [PMID: 34319323 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp01703a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Responsive poly-N-isopropylacrylamide-based microgels are commonly used as model colloids with soft repulsive interactions. It has been shown that the microgel-microgel interaction in solution can be easily adjusted by varying the environmental parameters, e.g., temperature, pH, or salt concentration. Furthermore, microgels readily adsorb to liquid-gas and liquid-liquid interfaces forming responsive foams and emulsions that can be broken on-demand. In this work, we explore the interactions between microgel monolayers at the air-water interface and a hard colloid in the water. Force-distance curves between the monolayer and a silica particle were measured with the Monolayer Particle Interaction Apparatus. The measurements were conducted at different temperatures and lateral compressions, i.e., different surface pressures. The force-distance approach curves display long-range repulsive forces below the volume phase transition temperature of the microgels. Temperature and lateral compression reduce the stiffness of the monolayer. The adhesion increases with temperature and decreases with a lateral compression of the monolayer. When compressed laterally, the interactions between the microgels are hardly affected by temperature, as the directly adsorbed microgel fractions are nearly insensitive to temperature. In contrast, our findings show that the temperature-dependent swelling of the microgel fractions in the aqueous phase strongly influences the interaction with the probe. This is explained by a change in the microgel monolayer from a soft to a hard repulsive interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Bochenek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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Hoppe Alvarez L, Rudov AA, Gumerov RA, Lenssen P, Simon U, Potemkin II, Wöll D. Controlling microgel deformation via deposition method and surface functionalization of solid supports. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:4927-4934. [PMID: 33620358 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp06355j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Soft matter at solid-liquid interfaces plays an important role in multiple scientific disciplines as well as in various technological fields. For microgels, representing highly interesting soft matter systems, we demonstrate that the preparation method, i.e. the way how the microgel is applied to the specific surface, plays a key role. Focusing on the three most common sample preparation methods (spin-coating, drop-casting and adsorption from solution), we performed a comparative study of the deformation behavior of microgels at the solid-liquid interface on three different surfaces with varying hydrophilicities. For in situ visualization of the deformation of pNIPMAM microgels, we conducted highly sensitive 3D super resolution fluorescence microscopy methods. We furthermore performed complementary molecular dynamics simulations to determine the driving force responsible for the deformation depending on the surface and the deposition method. The combination of experiments and simulations revealed that the simulated equilibrium structure obtained after simulation of the completely dry microgel after deposition is retained after rehydration and subsequent fluorescent imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hoppe Alvarez
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
| | - Andrey A Rudov
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation and DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstraße 50, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Rustam A Gumerov
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation and DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstraße 50, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Pia Lenssen
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
| | - Ulrich Simon
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 1 a, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Igor I Potemkin
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation and DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstraße 50, D-52056 Aachen, Germany and National Research South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk 454080, Russian Federation
| | - Dominik Wöll
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
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Braun L, Kühnhammer M, von Klitzing R. Stability of aqueous foam films and foams containing polymers: Discrepancies between different length scales. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2020.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Mehrabian H, Snoeijer JH, Harting J. Desorption energy of soft particles from a fluid interface. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:8655-8666. [PMID: 32857082 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01122c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The efficiency of soft particles to stabilize emulsions is examined by measuring their desorption free energy, i.e., the mechanical work required to detach the particle from a fluid interface. Here, we consider rubber-like elastic as well as microgel particles, using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. The energy of desorption is computed for two and three-dimensional configurations by means of the mean thermodynamic integration method. It is shown that the softness affects the particle-interface binding in two opposing directions as compared to rigid particles. On the one hand, a soft particle spreads at the interface and thereby removes a larger unfavorable liquid-liquid contact area compared to rigid particles. On the other hand, softness provides the particle with an additional degree of freedom to get reshaped instead of deforming the interface, resulting in a smaller restoring force during the detachment. It is shown that the first effect prevails so that a soft spherical particle attaches to the fluid interface more strongly than rigid spheres. Finally, we consider microgel particles both in the swollen and in the collapsed state. Surprisingly, we find that the latter has a larger binding energy. All results are rationalised using thermodynamic arguments and thereby offer detailed insights into the desorption energy of soft particles from fluid interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadi Mehrabian
- Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands and Physics of Fluids Group and J. M. Burgers Centre for Fluid Dynamics, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands and Chemical Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jacco H Snoeijer
- Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands and Physics of Fluids Group and J. M. Burgers Centre for Fluid Dynamics, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Jens Harting
- Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands and Physics of Fluids Group and J. M. Burgers Centre for Fluid Dynamics, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands and Helmholtz-Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Fürther Str. 248, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany. and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Fürther Straße 248, 90429 Nürnberg, Germany
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Schmidt MM, Bochenek S, Gavrilov AA, Potemkin II, Richtering W. Influence of Charges on the Behavior of Polyelectrolyte Microgels Confined to Oil-Water Interfaces. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:11079-11093. [PMID: 32845643 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The role of electrostatics on the interfacial properties of polyelectrolyte microgels has been discussed controversially in the literature. It is not yet clear if, or how, Coulomb interactions affect their behavior under interfacial confinement. In this work, we combine compression isotherms, atomic force microscopy imaging, and computer simulations to further investigate the behavior of pH-responsive microgels at oil-water interfaces. At low compression, charged microgels can be compressed more than uncharged microgels. The in-plane effective area of charged microgels is found to be smaller in comparison to uncharged ones. Thus, the compressibility is governed by in-plane interactions of the microgels with the interface. At high compression, however, charged microgels are less compressible than uncharged microgels. Microgel fractions located in the aqueous phase interact earlier for charged than for uncharged microgels because of their different swelling perpendicular to the interface. Therefore, the compressibility at high compression is controlled by out-of-plane interactions. In addition, the size of the investigated microgels plays a pivotal role. The charge-dependent difference in compressibility at low compression is only observed for small but not for large microgels, while the behavior at high compression does not depend on the size. Our results highlight the complex nature of soft polymer microgels as compared to rigid colloidal particles. We clearly demonstrate that electrostatic interactions affect the interfacial properties of polyelectrolyte microgels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steffen Bochenek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Alexey A Gavrilov
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Igor I Potemkin
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
- DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- National Research South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk 454080, Russian Federation
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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Rudyak VY, Kozhunova EY, Chertovich AV. Simulation of interpenetrating networks microgel synthesis. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:4858-4865. [PMID: 32421134 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00287a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we have implemented the sequential template synthesis of interpenetrating network (IPN) microgels in computer simulations and studied the behavior of such particles. We explored the influence of the interaction between the components of primary and secondary networks on the polymerization process and determined the necessary conditions for IPN particle formation. The interconnection between the parameters of synthesis and topological properties of the resulting microgels was investigated. We studied the morphologies of microgels in "good", "poor" and "selective" solvents. For the first time, we demonstrated the possibility of the formation of shell-corona structures in IPN microgels obtained by in silico synthesis from monomers and exposed to a selective solvent. These results allow for the better understanding of the required experimental conditions and data interpretation such as static structure factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Yu Rudyak
- Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russia
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Bushuev NV, Gumerov RA, Bochenek S, Pich A, Richtering W, Potemkin II. Compression and Ordering of Microgels in Monolayers Formed at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces: Computer Simulation Studies. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:19903-19915. [PMID: 32248678 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c01600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Monolayers of polymer microgels adsorbed at the liquid interfaces were studied by dissipative particle dynamics simulations. The results demonstrated that the compressibility of the monolayers can be widely tuned by varying the cross-linking density of the microgels and their (in)compatibility with the immiscible liquids. In particular, the compression of the monolayers (increase of 2D concentration of the microgels) leads to the decrease of their lateral size. Herewith, the shape of the individual soft particles gradually changes from oblate (diluted 2D system) to nearly spherical (compressed monolayer). The polymer concentration profiles plotted along the normal to the interface reveal a nonmonotonous shape with a sharp maximum at the interface. This is a consequence of the shielding effect: saturation of the interface by monomer units of the subchains is driven by minimization of unfavorable contacts between the immiscible liquids and is opposed by elasticity of the network. The decrease of the interfacial tension upon concentration (compression) of the monolayer is quantified. It has been demonstrated that the interfacial tension significantly differs if the solubility of the polymer chains of the microgel network in the liquids changes. These results correlate well with experimental data. The examination of the microgels' crystalline ordering in monolayers demonstrated a nonmonotonous dependency on the compression degree (microgel concentration). Finally, the worsening of the solvent quality leads to the collapse of the microgels in monolayer and nonmonotonous behavior of the interfacial tension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita V Bushuev
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
| | - Rustam A Gumerov
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
- DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials e.V., Forckenbeckstraße 50, Aachen 52056, Germany
| | - Steffen Bochenek
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, Aachen 52056, Germany
| | - Andrij Pich
- DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials e.V., Forckenbeckstraße 50, Aachen 52056, Germany
- Aachen Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM), Maastricht University, Urmonderbaan 22, Geleen 6167 RD, The Netherlands
| | - Walter Richtering
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, Aachen 52056, Germany
| | - Igor I Potemkin
- Physics Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-2, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
- DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials e.V., Forckenbeckstraße 50, Aachen 52056, Germany
- National Research South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk 454080, Russian Federation
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Rey M, Uttinger MJ, Peukert W, Walter J, Vogel N. Probing particle heteroaggregation using analytical centrifugation. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:3407-3415. [PMID: 32154548 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00026d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The controlled aggregation of colloidal particles is not only a widespread natural phenomenon but also serves as a tool to design complex building blocks with tailored shape and functionalities. However, the quantitative characterization of such heteroaggregation processes remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate the use of analytical centrifugation to characterize the heteroaggregation of silica particles and soft microgels bearing similar surface charges. We investigate the attachment as well as the stability of the formed heteroaggregates as a function of particle to microgel surface ratio, microgel size and the influence of temperature. The attachment of microgels onto the colloidal particles induces a change in the sedimentation coefficient, which is used to quantitatively identify the number of attached microgels. We corroborate the shift in sedimentation coefficient by computer simulations of the frictional properties of heteroaggregates via a modified Brownian dynamic algorithm. The comparison between theoretical investigations and experiments suggest that the microgels deform and flatten upon attachment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Rey
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany. and Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Maximilian J Uttinger
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany. and Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Peukert
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany. and Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Johannes Walter
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany. and Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nicolas Vogel
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany. and Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
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Rey M, Fernandez-Rodriguez MA, Karg M, Isa L, Vogel N. Poly- N-isopropylacrylamide Nanogels and Microgels at Fluid Interfaces. Acc Chem Res 2020; 53:414-424. [PMID: 31940173 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.9b00528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The confinement of colloidal particles at liquid interfaces offers many opportunities for materials design. Adsorption is driven by a reduction of the total free energy as the contact area between the two liquids is partially replaced by the particle. From an application point of view, particle-stabilized interfaces form emulsions and foams with superior stability. Liquid interfaces also effectively confine colloidal particles in two dimensions and therefore provide ideal model systems to fundamentally study particle interactions, dynamics, and self-assembly. With progress in the synthesis of nanomaterials, more and more complex and functional particles are available for such studies. In this Account, we focus on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) nanogels and microgels. These are cross-linked polymeric particles that swell and soften by uptaking large amounts of water. The incorporated water can be partially expelled, causing a volume phase transition into a collapsed state when the temperature is increased above approximately 32 °C. Soft microgels adsorbed to liquid interfaces significantly deform under the influence of interfacial tension and assume cross sections exceeding their bulk dimensions. In particular, a pronounced corona forms around the microgel core, consisting of dangling chains at the microgel periphery. These polymer chains expand at the interface and strongly affect the interparticle interactions. The particle deformability therefore leads to a significantly more complex interfacial phase behavior that provides a rich playground to explore structure formation processes. We first discuss the characteristic "fried-egg" or core-corona morphology of individual microgels adsorbed to a liquid interface and comment on the dependence of this interfacial morphology on their physicochemical properties. We introduce different theoretical models to describe their interfacial morphology. In a second part, we introduce how ensembles of microgels interact and self-assemble at liquid interfaces. The core-corona morphology and the possibility to force these elements into overlap upon compression results in a complex phase behavior with a phase transition between microgels with extended and collapsed coronae. We discuss the influence of the internal particle architecture, also including core-shell microgels with rigid cores, on the phase behavior. Finally, we present new routes for the realization of more complex structures, resulting from multiple deposition protocols and from engineering the interaction potential of the individual particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Rey
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Miguel Angel Fernandez-Rodriguez
- Laboratory for Soft Materials and Interfaces, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Karg
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Lucio Isa
- Laboratory for Soft Materials and Interfaces, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Vogel
- Institute of Particle Technology (LFG), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 4, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Interdisciplinary Center for Functional Particle Systems (FPS), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Haberstrasse 9a, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
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