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Shen Y, Wang C, Liu Z, Zhang X, Su R, Wang Y, Qi W. Multicomponent structural color membrane based on soft lithography array for high-sensitive Raman detection. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 652:518-528. [PMID: 37607414 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.08.066] [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: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Inspired by ordered photonic crystals and structural color materials in nature, we successfully prepared hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) photonic films with ordered surface arrays by double-imprint soft lithography. Then we introduced another important material of the cellulose family, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), which has liquid crystal nature and birefringent properties of the particles, into the system to realize the single-point shrinkage of the film array and the control of structural color. Through multi-component doping and concentration control, we further optimized the multi-scale structure of the materials, and obtained HPC/CNCs composite photonic films with excellent properties in color, stability and flexibility, whose elastic modulus and tensile properties are significantly higher than those of single-component. Further loading of SiO2@PDA enhances the color saturation and realizes the in-situ reduction of metal ions on the film surface. This plasma film can track a variety of substances with high sensitivity and long-term stability, showing potential application prospects in the field of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which provides a potential possibility for chiral structures to be used in the field of biosensor detection and circularly polarized luminescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhe Shen
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Chaoxuan Wang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Zekai Liu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Xuelin Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Rongxin Su
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin 300072, PR China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Yuefei Wang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Key Laboratory of Polymeric Materials Design and Synthesis for Biomedical Function, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
| | - Wei Qi
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin 300072, PR China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China.
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Lee YJ, Abdelrahman MK, Kalairaj MS, Ware TH. Self-Assembled Microactuators Using Chiral Liquid Crystal Elastomers. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2302774. [PMID: 37291979 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202302774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Materials that undergo reversible changes in form typically require top-down processing to program the microstructure of the material. As a result, it is difficult to program microscale, 3D shape-morphing materials that undergo non-uniaxial deformations. Here, a simple bottom-up fabrication approach to prepare bending microactuators is described. Spontaneous self-assembly of liquid crystal (LC) monomers with controlled chirality within 3D micromold results in a change in molecular orientation across thickness of the microstructure. As a result, heating induces bending in these microactuators. The concentration of chiral dopant is varied to adjust the chirality of the monomer mixture. Liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) microactuators doped with 0.05 wt% of chiral dopant produce needle-shaped actuators that bend from flat to an angle of 27.2 ± 11.3° at 180 °C. Higher concentrations of chiral dopant lead to actuators with reduced bending, and lower concentrations of chiral dopant lead to actuators with poorly controlled bending. Asymmetric molecular alignment inside 3D structure is confirmed by sectioning actuators. Arrays of microactuators that all bend in the same direction can be fabricated if symmetry of geometry of the microstructure is broken. It is envisioned that the new platform to synthesize microstructures can further be applied in soft robotics and biomedical devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoo Jin Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Mustafa K Abdelrahman
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | | | - Taylor H Ware
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
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Norouzi S, Zhang R, Munguia-Fernández JG, de Pablo L, Zhou Y, Taheri-Qazvini N, Shapiro H, Morin S, Martinez-Gonzalez JA, Sadati M, de Pablo JJ. Director Distortion and Phase Modulation in Deformable Nematic and Smectic Liquid Crystal Spheroids. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:15272-15281. [PMID: 36454950 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The growing interest in integrating liquid crystals (LCs) into flexible and miniaturized technologies brings about the need to understand the interplay between spatially curved geometry, surface anchoring, and the order associated with these materials. Here, we integrate experimental methods and computational simulations to explore the competition between surface-induced orientation and the effects of deformable curved boundaries in uniaxially and biaxially stretched nematic and smectic microdroplets. We find that the director field of the nematic LCs upon uniaxial strain reorients and forms a larger twisted defect ring to adjust to the new deformed geometry of the stretched droplet. Upon biaxial extension, the director field initially twists in the now oblate geometry and subsequently transitions into a uniform vertical orientation at high strains. In smectic microdroplets, on the other hand, LC alignment transforms from a radial smectic layering to a quasi-flat layering in a compromise between interfacial and dilatation forces. Upon removing the mechanical strain, the smectic LC recovers its initial radial configuration; however, the oblate geometry traps the nematic LC in the metastable vertical state. These findings offer a basis for the rational design of LC-based flexible devices, including wearable sensors, flexible displays, and smart windows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Norouzi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Rui Zhang
- Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Juan G Munguia-Fernández
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Parque Chapultepec 1580, San Luis Potosí 78295, México
| | - Luis de Pablo
- University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 1362 E 59th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Ye Zhou
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Nader Taheri-Qazvini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Harrison Shapiro
- University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 1362 E 59th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Samuel Morin
- University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 1362 E 59th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Jose A Martinez-Gonzalez
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Parque Chapultepec 1580, San Luis Potosí 78295, México
| | - Monirosadat Sadati
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Juan J de Pablo
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
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Roy P, Mukherjee R, Bandyopadhyay D, Gooh Pattader PS. Electrodynamic-contact-line-lithography with nematic liquid crystals for template-less E-writing of mesopatterns on soft surfaces. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:16523-16533. [PMID: 31454013 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr05729c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We report the development of a single-step, template-less and fast pathway, namely, Electrodynamic-Contact-Line-Lithography (ECLL), to write micro to nanopatterns on the surface of a soft polymer film. As a model system, a layer of nematic liquid crystals (NLC), resting on a polymer thin film, was sandwiched between a pair of electrodes emulating the electrowetting on a dielectric (EWOD) setup. Upon the application of electric field, the Maxwell stresses thus generated at the NLC-polymer interface due to the high dielectric contrast stimulated an unprecedented fingering instability at the advancing NLC-polymer-air contact line. In the process, the advancing electrospreading front of NLC left the footprint of an array of micro to nanoscale wells on the polymer surface with a long-range ordering thus unveiling a pathway for maskless patterning of a soft elastic film. Unlike the conventional electric field induced lithography (EFL), the meso-scale morphology was found to follow the short wavelength-scales as the periodicity of the patterns (λc) varied linearly with the thickness of the film (h), (λc∝h). The high dielectric contrast at the NLC-polymer interface and the local fluctuation of the NLC directors ensured a time scale much faster than the same observed for the polymer-air systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pritam Roy
- Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India.
| | - Rabibrata Mukherjee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Dipankar Bandyopadhyay
- Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India. and Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
| | - Partho Sarathi Gooh Pattader
- Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India. and Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
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Zeng H, Wasylczyk P, Wiersma DS, Priimagi A. Light Robots: Bridging the Gap between Microrobotics and Photomechanics in Soft Materials. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2018; 30:e1703554. [PMID: 29067734 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201703554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Revised: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
For decades, roboticists have focused their efforts on rigid systems that enable programmable, automated action, and sophisticated control with maximal movement precision and speed. Meanwhile, material scientists have sought compounds and fabrication strategies to devise polymeric actuators that are small, soft, adaptive, and stimuli-responsive. Merging these two fields has given birth to a new class of devices-soft microrobots that, by combining concepts from microrobotics and stimuli-responsive materials research, provide several advantages in a miniature form: external, remotely controllable power supply, adaptive motion, and human-friendly interaction, with device design and action often inspired by biological systems. Herein, recent progress in soft microrobotics is highlighted based on light-responsive liquid-crystal elastomers and polymer networks, focusing on photomobile devices such as walkers, swimmers, and mechanical oscillators, which may ultimately lead to flying microrobots. Finally, self-regulated actuation is proposed as a new pathway toward fully autonomous, intelligent light robots of the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zeng
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 541, FI, 33101, Tampere, Finland
| | - Piotr Wasylczyk
- Photonic Nanostructure Facility, Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, ul. Pasteura 5, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Diederik S Wiersma
- European Laboratory for Non Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence and INRIM, via Nello Carrara 1, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Arri Priimagi
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 541, FI, 33101, Tampere, Finland
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Martella D, Parmeggiani C. Advances in Cell Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering: The Value of Liquid Crystalline Elastomers. Chemistry 2018; 24:12206-12220. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201800477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Martella
- Chemistry Department “Ugo Schiff”; University of Florence; Via della Lastruccia 3-13 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- CNR-INO; European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS); University of Florence; via Nello Carrara 1 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
| | - Camilla Parmeggiani
- Chemistry Department “Ugo Schiff”; University of Florence; Via della Lastruccia 3-13 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
- CNR-INO; European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS); University of Florence; via Nello Carrara 1 Sesto Fiorentino Italy
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Dhara P, Bhandaru N, Das A, Mukherjee R. Transition from Spin Dewetting to continuous film in spin coating of Liquid Crystal 5CB. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7169. [PMID: 29740096 PMCID: PMC5940909 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25504-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Spin dewetting refers to spontaneous rupture of the dispensed solution layer during spin coating, resulting in isolated but periodic, regular sized domains of the solute and is pre-dominant when the solute concentration (Cn) is very low. In this article we report how the morphology of liquid crystal (LC) 5CB thin films coated on flat and patterned PMMA substrate transform from spin dewetted droplets to continuous films with increase in Cn. We further show that within the spin dewetted regime, with gradual increase in the solute concentration, periodicity of the isotropic droplets (λD) as well as their mean diameter (dD), gradually decreases, till the film becomes continuous at a critical concentration (Cn*). Interestingly, the trend that λD reduces with increase in Cn is exact opposite to what is observed in thermal/solvent vapor induced dewetting of a thin film. The spin dewetted droplets exhibit transient Radial texture, in contrast to Schlieren texture observed in elongated threads and continuous films of 5CB, which remains in the Nematic phase at room temperature. Finally we show that by casting the film on a grating patterned substrate it becomes possible to align the spin dewetted droplets along the contours substrate patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Palash Dhara
- Instability and Soft Patterning Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, Pin-721302, India
| | - Nandini Bhandaru
- Instability and Soft Patterning Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, Pin-721302, India
| | - Anuja Das
- Instability and Soft Patterning Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, Pin-721302, India
| | - Rabibrata Mukherjee
- Instability and Soft Patterning Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, Pin-721302, India.
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Lin C, Jiang Y, Tao CA, Yin X, Lan Y, Wang C, Wang S, Liu X, Li G. Electrothermally Driven Fluorescence Switching by Liquid Crystal Elastomers Based On Dimensional Photonic Crystals. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2017; 9:11770-11779. [PMID: 28293943 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b15619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
In this article, the fabrication of an active organic-inorganic one-dimensional photonic crystal structure to offer electrothermal fluorescence switching is described. The film is obtained by spin-coating of liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and TiO2 nanoparticles alternatively. By utilizing the property of LCEs that can change their size and shape reversibly under external thermal stimulations, the λmax of the photonic band gap of these films is tuned by voltage through electrothermal conversion. The shifted photonic band gap further changes the matching degree between the photonic band gap of the film and the emission spectrum of organic dye mounting on the film. With rhodamine B as an example, the enhancement factor of its fluorescence emission is controlled by varying the matching degree. Thus, the fluorescence intensity is actively switched by voltage applied on the system, in a fast, adjustable, and reversible manner. The control chain of using the electrothermal stimulus to adjust fluorescence intensity via controlling the photonic band gap is proved by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and UV-vis reflectance. This mechanism also corresponded to the results from the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. The comprehensive usage of photonic crystals and liquid crystal elastomers opened a new possibility for active optical devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changxu Lin
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Soft Functional Materials Research, College of Physical Science and Technology, Xiamen University , 361005 Xiamen, P.R. China
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Yin Jiang
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, P. R. China
- Beilun Science and Technology Bureau , Ningbo, 315800, P. R. China
| | - Cheng-An Tao
- College of Science, National University of Defence Technology , Changsha 410073, P. R. China
| | - Xianpeng Yin
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Yue Lan
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Chen Wang
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Shiqiang Wang
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Xiangyang Liu
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Soft Functional Materials Research, College of Physical Science and Technology, Xiamen University , 361005 Xiamen, P.R. China
| | - Guangtao Li
- Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, P. R. China
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