1
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Li SJ, Sun YW, Li ZW. Two-Step Chirality Transfer to Twisted Assemblies: Synergistic Interplay of Chiral and Aggregation Interactions. ACS NANO 2024. [PMID: 39298663 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c03147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
Chirality plays a pivotal role in both the origin of life and the self-assembly of materials. However, the governing principles behind chirality transfer in hierarchical self-assembly across multiple length scales remain elusive. Here, we propose a concise and versatile simulation strategy using the patchy particle chain model to investigate the self-assembly of rods interacting through chiral and aggregation interactions. We reveal that chiral interaction possessing an entropic nature, amplifies the fluctuations and twists in the alignment of rods, while aggregation interaction serves as a foundational platform for aggregation and assembly. When both interactions exhibit moderate absolute and relative values, their synergistic interplay facilitates the chirality transfer from rods to assemblies, resulting in the formation of chiral mesoscale ordered structures. Furthermore, we observe a two-step chirality transfer process by monitoring the formation kinetics of the twisted assemblies. This work not only provides a comprehensive insight into chirality transfer mechanisms, but also introduces a versatile mesoscale simulation framework for exploring the role of chirality in hierarchical self-assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Jia Li
- College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Yu-Wei Sun
- College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Zhan-Wei Li
- College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
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2
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Grelet E, Tortora MMC. Elucidating chirality transfer in liquid crystals of viruses. NATURE MATERIALS 2024; 23:1276-1282. [PMID: 38783105 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01897-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Chirality is ubiquitous in nature across all length scales, with major implications spanning fields from biology, chemistry and physics to materials science. How chirality propagates from nanoscale building blocks to meso- and macroscopic helical structures remains an open issue. Here, working with a canonical system of filamentous viruses, we demonstrate that their self-assembly into chiral liquid crystal phases quantitatively results from the interplay between two main mechanisms of chirality transfer: electrostatic interactions from the helical charge patterns on the virus surface, and fluctuation-based helical deformations leading to viral backbone helicity. Our experimental and theoretical approach provides a comprehensive framework for deciphering how chirality is hierarchically and quantitatively propagated across spatial scales. Our work highlights the ways in which supramolecular helicity may arise from subtle chiral contributions of opposite handedness that act either cooperatively or competitively, thus accounting for the multiplicity of chiral behaviours observed for nearly identical molecular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Grelet
- Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal (CRPP, UMR 5031), Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Pessac, France.
| | - Maxime M C Tortora
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule (LBMC, UMR 5239, Inserm 1293), Univ. Claude Bernard Lyon 1, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, Lyon, France.
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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3
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Fernández-Rico C, Dullens RPA. Liquid crystals from curved colloidal rods: waves, twists and more. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2024; 87:094601. [PMID: 38996410 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/ad627b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
The curvature of elongated microscopic building blocks plays a crucial role on their self-assembly into orientationally ordered phases. While rod-like molecules form a handful of liquid crystal (LC) phases, curved or banana-shaped molecules show more than fifty phases, with fascinating physical properties, such as chirality or polarity. Despite the fundamental and technological importance of these so-called 'banana-shaped liquid crystals', little is known about their microscopic details at the single-molecule level. Curved colloidal liquid crystals-liquid crystals formed by curved colloidal rods-are excellent model systems to optically resolve the structure and dynamics of curved building blocks within these condensed phases. Recent advances in the synthesis of curved rod-like particles have unlocked the potential for studying-at the single-particle level-the intimate relationship between shape and phase symmetry, and even confirmed the stability of elusive LC phases. Further developments in this nascent field promise exciting findings, such as the first observation of the colloidal twist-bend nematic phase or the fabrication of functional materials with curvature-dependent properties. In this Report on Progress, we will highlight recent advances in the synthesis and assembly of curved colloidal liquid crystals and discuss the upcoming challenges and opportunities of this field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roel P A Dullens
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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4
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Gandhi P, Kuhnhold A. The effect of particle geometry and initial configuration on the phase behavior of twisted convex n-prisms. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:5351-5358. [PMID: 38913010 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00585f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
We study the phase behavior of twisted convex n-prisms with n = 3 and 4, via Monte Carlo simulations. Biaxial phases, in untwisted prisms, can be induced by choosing specific geometries of the prisms. However, due to the convexity of the twisted particles, a strong twisting disables the formation of biaxial phases and stabilizes uniaxial nematic and smectic phases. Using the increased volume of the twisted convex particles, we define an effective aspect ratio of the twisted prisms and find a homogeneous phase behavior across the geometry of the prisms' cross-section and even across different shapes of the cross-section. In this representation biaxial phases are found for large aspect ratios, while the low aspect ratio behavior can be compared to the hard cylinder phase diagram. For 3-prisms with a small base angle, we show the influence of the initial configuration; a polar initial configuration results in a (polar) splay nematic phase, whereas a non-polar initial configuration results in a biaxial phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poshika Gandhi
- Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Anja Kuhnhold
- Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
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5
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Sato T, Tsujinoue H, Arai N, Takahashi KZ. Coarse-grained molecular simulation of the effect of liquid crystal molecular pitch on structure in cylindrical confinement. Phys Rev E 2024; 110:014701. [PMID: 39161020 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.110.014701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
Blue phases (BPs) consist of three-dimensional self-assembled structures formed by a double-twisted columnar arrangement of liquid crystal molecules. Although their unique optical and structural properties render BPs particularly useful for applications such as liquid crystal displays, BPs typically appear in a narrow temperature range between the isotropic and nematic phases. This thermodynamic instability impedes their practical applicability. However, the simulations we present here showed that, in a quasi-one-dimensional system confined to nanospace, a phase equivalent to the BP appears and persists between the nematic and smectic phases. Confinement to a nanotube (NT) with a relatively small radius enables the BP to be maintained over a wide temperature range, whereas for an NT with a relatively larger radius, the BP appears only in a very narrow temperature range between the aforementioned phases. We additionally showed that the pitch of the BP is dependent on and can be controlled by adjusting the radius of the NTs. This finding has significant implications for the potential application of these materials in fields such as photonics and chiral separation technologies.
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6
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Zoppe JO. Cellulose Nanocrystal Allomorphs: Morphology, Self-Assembly, and Polymer End-Tethering toward Chiral Metamaterials. ACCOUNTS OF MATERIALS RESEARCH 2024; 5:385-391. [PMID: 38694188 PMCID: PMC11059101 DOI: 10.1021/accountsmr.3c00278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Justin O. Zoppe
- Universitat Politècnica
de Catalunya (UPC) − BarcelonaTech, POLY2 Group, Department
of Materials Science & Engineering, School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering of Terrassa
(ESEIAAT), Carrer de
Colom, 11, 08222 Terrassa, Spain
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7
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Chattopadhyay J, Mandal J, Maiti PK. Stability of the chiral crystal phase and breakdown of the cholesteric phase in mixtures of active-passive chiral rods. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:2464-2473. [PMID: 38381111 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01567j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we aim to explore the effect of chirality on the phase behavior of active helical particles driven by two-temperature scalar activity. We first calculate the equation of state of soft helical particles of various intrinsic chiralities using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. In equilibrium, the emergence of various liquid crystal (LC) phases such as nematic (N), cholesteric , smectic (Sm) and crystal (K) crucially depends on the presence of walls that induce planar alignment. Next, we introduce activity through the two-temperature model: keep increasing the temperature of half of the helical particles (labeled as 'hot' particles) while maintaining the temperature of the other half at a lower value (labeled as 'cold' particles). Starting from a homogeneous isotropic (I) phase, we find the emergence of 2-TIPS: two temperature-induced phase separations between the hot and cold particles. We also observe that the cold particles undergo an ordering transition to various LC phases even in the absence of a wall. This observation reveals that the hot-cold interface in the active system plays the role of a wall in the equilibrium system by inducing an alignment direction for the cold particles. However, in the case of a cholesteric phase, we observe that activity destabilizes the phase by inducing smectic ordering in the cold zone while an isotropic structure in the hot zone. The smectic ordering in the cold zone eventually transforms to a chiral crystal phase with high enough activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayeeta Chattopadhyay
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
| | - Jaydeep Mandal
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
| | - Prabal K Maiti
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
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8
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Sewring T, Dijkstra M. The effect of shape, polydispersity, charge, and fraction of crystallite bundles on the cholesteric pitch of cellulose nanocrystal suspensions. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:194902. [PMID: 37971035 DOI: 10.1063/5.0167362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Using Onsager-Straley's second-virial theory, we investigate the cholesteric pitch of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) suspensions. We model the CNCs as hard chiral bundles of microfibrils and examine the effect of the shape of these chiral bundles, characterized by aspect ratio and chirality, on the cholesteric pitch. Additionally, we explore the impact of length polydispersity and surface charge on the cholesteric phase of CNCs. Furthermore, we consider binary mixtures of twisted bundles and achiral primary crystallites to provide a more realistic representation of CNC suspensions. Our findings reveal that the degree of bundle twisting significantly affects the helical twisting of the cholesteric phase. We also observe that the average particle length and length polydispersity have substantial effects on strongly twisted bundles but minimal effects on weakly twisted ones. Finally, our study indicates that as the range of electrostatic interactions increases, the transfer of chirality from the microscopic to macroscopic length scales becomes masked, resulting in an increase in the cholesteric pitch. In the case of binary mixtures, the bundles act as chiral dopants, and an increasing fraction of bundles progressively enhances the helical twisting of the cholesteric phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tor Sewring
- Soft Condensed Matter & Biophysics, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marjolein Dijkstra
- Soft Condensed Matter & Biophysics, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
- International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM2), Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
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9
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Dal Compare L, Romano F, Wood JA, Widmer-Cooper A, Giacometti A. Janus helices: From fully attractive to hard helices. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:174905. [PMID: 37921252 DOI: 10.1063/5.0168766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The phase diagram of hard helices differs from its hard rods counterpart by the presence of chiral "screw" phases stemming from the characteristic helical shape, in addition to the conventional liquid crystal phases also found for rod-like particles. Using extensive Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics simulations, we study the effect of the addition of a short-range attractive tail representing solvent-induced interactions to a fraction of the sites forming the hard helices, ranging from a single-site attraction to fully attractive helices for a specific helical shape. Different temperature regimes exist for different fractions of the attractive sites, as assessed in terms of the relative Boyle temperatures, that are found to be rather insensitive to the specific shape of the helical particle. The temperature range probed by the present study is well above the corresponding Boyle temperatures, with the phase behaviour still mainly entropically dominated and with the existence and location of the various liquid crystal phases only marginally affected. The pressure in the equation of state is found to decrease upon increasing the fraction of attractive beads and/or on lowering the temperature at fixed volume fraction, as expected on physical grounds. All screw phases are found to be stable within the considered range of temperatures with the smectic phase becoming more stable on lowering the temperature. By contrast, the location of the transition lines do not display a simple dependence on the fraction of attractive beads in the considered range of temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Dal Compare
- Dipartimento di Scienze Molecolari e Nanosistemi, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia Campus Scientifico, Edificio Alfa, Via Torino 155, 30170 Venezia Mestre, Italy
| | - Flavio Romano
- Dipartimento di Scienze Molecolari e Nanosistemi, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia Campus Scientifico, Edificio Alfa, Via Torino 155, 30170 Venezia Mestre, Italy
- European Centre for Living Technology (ECLT) Ca' Bottacin, 3911 Dorsoduro Calle Crosera, 30123 Venice, Italy
| | - Jared A Wood
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Asaph Widmer-Cooper
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Achille Giacometti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Molecolari e Nanosistemi, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia Campus Scientifico, Edificio Alfa, Via Torino 155, 30170 Venezia Mestre, Italy
- European Centre for Living Technology (ECLT) Ca' Bottacin, 3911 Dorsoduro Calle Crosera, 30123 Venice, Italy
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10
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Zhang X, Dai X, Gao L, Xu D, Wan H, Wang Y, Yan LT. The entropy-controlled strategy in self-assembling systems. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:6806-6837. [PMID: 37743794 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00347g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembly of various building blocks has been considered as a powerful approach to generate novel materials with tailorable structures and optimal properties. Understanding physicochemical interactions and mechanisms related to structural formation and transitions is of essential importance for this approach. Although it is well-known that diverse forces and energies can significantly contribute to the structures and properties of self-assembling systems, the potential entropic contribution remains less well understood. The past few years have witnessed rapid progress in addressing the entropic effects on the structures, responses, and functions in the self-assembling systems, and many breakthroughs have been achieved. This review provides a framework regarding the entropy-controlled strategy of self-assembly, through which the structures and properties can be tailored by effectively tuning the entropic contribution and its interplay with the enthalpic counterpart. First, we focus on the fundamentals of entropy in thermodynamics and the entropy types that can be explored for self-assembly. Second, we discuss the rules of entropy in regulating the structural organization in self-assembly and delineate the entropic force and superentropic effect. Third, we introduce the basic principles, significance and approaches of the entropy-controlled strategy in self-assembly. Finally, we present the applications where this strategy has been employed in fields like colloids, macromolecular systems and nonequilibrium assembly. This review concludes with a discussion on future directions and future research opportunities for developing and applying the entropy-controlled strategy in complex self-assembling systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Xiaobin Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Lijuan Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Duo Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Haixiao Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Yuming Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Li-Tang Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
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11
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Brumby PE, Kowaguchi A, Nozawa T, Yasuoka K, Wensink HH. Pre-Smectic Ordering and the Unwinding Helix in Monte Carlo Simulations of Cholesteric Liquid-Crystals. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:7194-7204. [PMID: 37540189 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c02018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, molecular chirality is studied for liquid-crystal fluids represented by hard rods with the addition of an attractive chiral dispersion term. Chiral forces between molecular pairs are assumed to be long-ranged and are described in terms of the pseudotensor of Goossens [W. J. A. Goossens, Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 1971, 12, 237-244]. Following Varga and Jackson [S. Varga and G. Jackson, Chem. Phys. Lett. 2003, 377, 6-12], this is combined with a hard-spherocylinder core. We investigate the relationship between molecular chirality and the helical pitch of the system, which occurs in the absence of full three-dimensional periodic boundary conditions. The dependence of the wavenumber of this pitch on the thermodynamic variables, temperature, and density is measured. We also explore the use of a novel surface boundary interaction model. As a result of this approach, we are able to lower the temperature of the system without the occurrence of nematic droplets, which would interfere with the formation of a uniaxial pitch. Regarding the theoretical predictions of Wensink and Jackson [H. H. Wensink and G. Jackson, J. Chem. Phys. 2009, 130, 234911], on the one hand, we have qualitative agreement with the observed non-monotonic density dependence of the wavenumber. Initially increasing with density, the wavenumber reaches a maximum, before falling as the density moves toward the point of phase transition from cholesteric to smectic. However, further analysis for shorter rods, in the presence of novel boundary conditions, reveals some disagreement with the theory, at least in this case; the unwinding of the cholesteric helix in the cholesteric phase occurs simultaneously with subtle increases in smectic ordering. These pre-smectic fluctuations have not been accounted for so far in theories on cholesterics but turn out to play a key role in controlling the pitch of cholesteric phases of rod-shaped mesogens with a small to moderate aspect ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E Brumby
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan
| | - Akie Kowaguchi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan
| | - Takuma Nozawa
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan
| | - Kenji Yasuoka
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan
| | - Henricus H Wensink
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides─UMR 8502, Université Paris-Saclay & CNRS, Orsay 91405, France
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12
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Uetani K, Uto T. Strong attractive interaction between finite element models of twisted cellulose nanofibers by intermeshing of twists. RSC Adv 2023; 13:16387-16395. [PMID: 37266489 PMCID: PMC10231428 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra01784b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Analysis of the attractive interaction between intrinsically twisted cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) is essential to control the physical properties of the higher-order structures of CNFs, such as paper and spun fiber. In this study, a finite element model reflecting the typical morphology of a twisted CNF was used to analyze the attractive interaction forces between multiple approaching CNF models. For two parallel CNF models, when one of the CNF models was rotated 90° around the long-axis direction, the twisting periods meshed, giving the maximum attraction force. Conversely, when the two CNF models were approaching diagonally, the CNF models were closest at an angle of -3.2° (i.e., in left-handed chirality) to give the most stable structure owing to the right-handed twist of the CNF models themselves. Furthermore, the two nematic layers were closest when one nematic layer was approached at an angle of -2° (i.e., in left-handed accumulation chirality), resulting in the greatest attraction. The results characterize the unique distribution of the attractive interaction forces between twisted CNF models, and they underscore the importance of chiral management in CNF aggregates, especially intermeshing of twists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kojiro Uetani
- Department of Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo University of Science 6-3-1 Niijuku, Katsushika-ku Tokyo 125-8585 Japan
| | - Takuya Uto
- Graduate School of Engineering, University of Miyazaki Nishi 1-1 Gakuen Kibanadai Miyazaki 889-2192 Japan
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13
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Huang Z, Deng W, Zhang S, Li S. Optimal shapes of disk assembly in saturated random packings. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:3325-3336. [PMID: 37096323 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00166k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Particle morphology is one of the most significant factors influencing the packing structures of granular materials. With certain targeted properties or optimization criteria, inverse packing problems have drawn extensive attention in terms of their adaptability to many material design tasks. An important question hard to answer is which particle shape, especially within given shape families, forms the densest (loosest) random packing? In this paper, we address this issue for the disk assembly model in two dimensions with an infinite variety of shapes, which are simulated in the random sequential adsorption process to suppress crystallization. Via a unique shape representation method, particle shapes are transformed into genotype sequences in the continuous shape space where we utilize the genetic algorithm as an efficient shape optimizer. Specifically, we consider three representative species of disk assembly, i.e., congruent tangent disks, incongruent tangent disks, and congruent overlapping disks, and carry out shape optimization on their packing densities in the saturated random state. We numerically search optimal shapes in the three species with a variable number of constituent disks which yield the maximal and minimal packing densities. We obtain an isosceles circulo-triangle and an unclosed ring for the maximal and minimal packing density in saturated random packings, respectively. The perfect sno-cone and isosceles circulo-triangle are also specifically investigated which give remarkably high packing densities of around 0.6, much denser than those of ellipses. This study is beneficial for guiding the design of particle shapes as well as the inverse design of granular materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaohui Huang
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Wei Deng
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Shixuan Zhang
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Shuixiang Li
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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14
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Abbasi Moud A, Abbasi Moud A. Flow and assembly of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC): A bottom-up perspective - A review. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 232:123391. [PMID: 36716841 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Cellulosic sources, such as lignocellulose-rich biomass, can be mechanically or acid degraded to produce inclusions called cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). They have several uses in the sectors of biomedicine, photonics, and material engineering because of their biodegradability, renewability, sustainability, and mechanical qualities. The processing and design of CNC-based products are inextricably linked to the rheological behaviour of CNC suspension or in combination with other chemicals, such as surfactants or polymers; in this context, rheology offers a significant link between microstructure and macro scale flow behaviour that is intricately linked to material response in applications. The flow behaviour of CNC items must be properly specified in order to produce goods with value-added characteristics. In this review article, we provide new research on the shear rheology of CNC dispersion and CNC-based hydrogels in the linear and nonlinear regime, with storage modulus values reported to range from ~10-3 to 103 Pa. Applications in technology and material science are also covered simultaneously. We carefully examined the effects of charge density, aspect ratio, concentration, persistence length, alignment, liquid crystal formation, the cause of chirality in CNCs, interfacial behaviour and interfacial rheology, linear and nonlinear viscoelasticity of CNC suspension in bulk and at the interface using the currently available literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aref Abbasi Moud
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada; Biomedical Engineering Department, AmirKabir University of Technology, P.O. Box 15875/4413, PC36+P45 District 6, Tehran, Tehran Province 1591634311, Iran.
| | - Aliyeh Abbasi Moud
- Biomedical Engineering Department, AmirKabir University of Technology, P.O. Box 15875/4413, PC36+P45 District 6, Tehran, Tehran Province 1591634311, Iran
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15
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He H, Zheng K, Du J, Zheng H, He J, Ma M, Shi Y, Chen S, Wang X. Controllable chiral inversion via thioether bond-activated J- and H-aggregation transformation. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:3759-3762. [PMID: 36912130 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc00019b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Herein, thioether bonds in the peripheral groups of chiral dendrimer that could activate the transformation between J- and H-aggregation in π-systems and caused controllable chiral inversion are described. Furthermore, owing to the close-knit per-aggregation of dendrimers impeding the transfer of inherent molecular chirality, the inversed chirality could be memorized and transferred from oligomers to nano-helices during self-assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiwen He
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou 310014, China.
| | - Kai Zheng
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou 310014, China.
| | - Junnan Du
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou 310014, China.
| | - Hao Zheng
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou 310014, China.
| | - Jing He
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou 310014, China.
| | - Meng Ma
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou 310014, China.
| | - Yanqin Shi
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou 310014, China.
| | - Si Chen
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou 310014, China.
| | - Xu Wang
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, 18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou 310014, China.
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16
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Rajendra D, Mandal J, Hatwalne Y, Maiti PK. Packing and emergence of the ordering of rods in a spherical monolayer. SOFT MATTER 2022; 19:137-146. [PMID: 36477473 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00799a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Spatially ordered systems confined to surfaces such as spheres exhibit interesting topological structures because of curvature induced frustration in orientational and translational order. The study of these structures is important for investigating the interplay between the geometry, topology, and elasticity, and for their potential applications in materials science, such as engineering directionally binding particles. In this work, we numerically simulate a spherical monolayer of soft repulsive spherocylinders (SRSs) and study the packing of rods and their ordering transition as a function of the packing fraction. In the model that we study, the centers of mass of the spherocylinders (situated at their geometric centers) are constrained to move on a spherical surface. The spherocylinders are free to rotate about any axis that passes through their respective centers of mass. We show that, up to moderate packing fractions, a two dimensional liquid crystalline phase is formed whose orientational ordering increases continuously with increasing density. This monolayer of orientationally ordered SRS particles at medium densities resembles a hedgehog-long axes of the SRS particles are aligned along the local normal to the sphere. At higher packing fractions, the system undergoes a transition to the solid phase, which is riddled with topological point defects (disclinations) and grain boundaries that divide the whole surface into several domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dharanish Rajendra
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India.
| | - Jaydeep Mandal
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India.
| | | | - Prabal K Maiti
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India.
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17
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Sanchez-Martinez P, Diaz-Herrera E, Salgado-Blanco D, Hernandez SI, Mendoza CI. Isobars and pitch of cholesteric phases for a chiral Gay-Berne fluid by molecular dynamic simulations. Mol Phys 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/00268976.2022.2154715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Enrique Diaz-Herrera
- Departamento de Física, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, CDMX, México
| | - Daniel Salgado-Blanco
- Cátedras CONACyT – Centro Nacional de Supercómputo, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, San Luis Potosí, México
| | - S. I. Hernandez
- Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación-Juriquilla, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Carlos I. Mendoza
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
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18
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Liu Y, Wood JA, Giacometti A, Widmer-Cooper A. The thermodynamic origins of chiral twist in monolayer assemblies of rod-like colloids. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:16837-16844. [PMID: 36367437 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr05230j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The propagation of chirality across scales is a common but poorly understood phenomenon in soft matter. Here, using computer simulations, we study twisted monolayer assemblies formed by both chiral and achiral rod-like particles in the presence of non-adsorbing polymer and characterise the thermodynamic driving forces responsible for the twisting. We observe assemblies with both like and inverted chirality relative to the rods and show that the preferred twist is already determined during the initial stage of the self-assembly. Depending on the geometry of the constituent rods, the chiral twist is regulated by either the entropy gain of the polymer, or of the rods, or both. This can include important contributions from changes in both the surface area and volume of the monolayer and from rod fluctuations perpendicular to the monolayer. These findings can deepen our understanding of why chirality propagates and of how to control it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yawei Liu
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Ionic Liquids Clean Process, CAS Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Complex Systems, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Jared A Wood
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Achille Giacometti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Molecolari e Nanosistemi, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia Campus Scientifico, Edificio Alfa, via Torino 155, 30170 Venezia Mestre, Italy
- European Centre for Living Technology (ECLT) Ca' Bottacin, 3911 Dorsoduro Calle Crosera, 30123 Venice, Italy
| | - Asaph Widmer-Cooper
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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19
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Kubala P, Tomczyk W, Cieśla M. In silico study of liquid crystalline phases formed by bent-shaped molecules with excluded volume type interactions. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2022.120156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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20
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Parton TG, Parker RM, van de Kerkhof GT, Narkevicius A, Haataja JS, Frka-Petesic B, Vignolini S. Chiral self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals is driven by crystallite bundles. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2657. [PMID: 35550506 PMCID: PMC9098854 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30226-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The transfer of chirality across length-scales is an intriguing and universal natural phenomenon. However, connecting the properties of individual building blocks to the emergent features of their resulting large-scale structure remains a challenge. In this work, we investigate the origins of mesophase chirality in cellulose nanocrystal suspensions, whose self-assembly into chiral photonic films has attracted significant interest. By correlating the ensemble behaviour in suspensions and films with a quantitative morphological analysis of the individual nanoparticles, we reveal an inverse relationship between the cholesteric pitch and the abundance of laterally-bound composite particles. These 'bundles' thus act as colloidal chiral dopants, analogous to those used in molecular liquid crystals, providing the missing link in the hierarchical transfer of chirality from the molecular to the colloidal scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Parton
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Richard M Parker
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Gea T van de Kerkhof
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Aurimas Narkevicius
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Johannes S Haataja
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Bruno Frka-Petesic
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Silvia Vignolini
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
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21
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Krishnamurthy S, Mathews Kalapurakal RA, Mani E. Computer simulations of self-assembly of anisotropic colloids. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2022; 34:273001. [PMID: 35172296 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ac55d6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Computer simulations have played a significant role in understanding the physics of colloidal self-assembly, interpreting experimental observations, and predicting novel mesoscopic and crystalline structures. Recent advances in computer simulations of colloidal self-assembly driven by anisotropic or orientation-dependent inter-particle interactions are highlighted in this review. These interactions are broadly classified into two classes: entropic and enthalpic interactions. They mainly arise due to shape anisotropy, surface heterogeneity, compositional heterogeneity, external field, interfaces, and confinements. Key challenges and opportunities in the field are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sriram Krishnamurthy
- Polymer Engineering and Colloids Science Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai-600036, India
| | - Remya Ann Mathews Kalapurakal
- Polymer Engineering and Colloids Science Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai-600036, India
| | - Ethayaraja Mani
- Polymer Engineering and Colloids Science Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai-600036, India
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22
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Takae K, Kawasaki T. Emergent elastic fields induced by topological phase transitions: Impact of molecular chirality and steric anisotropy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2118492119. [PMID: 35344433 PMCID: PMC9168837 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2118492119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
SignificanceChirality, the property of an object that cannot be superimposed on its mirror image, plays an essential role in condensed matter, such as magnetic, electronic, and liquid crystal systems. Topological phases emerge in such chiral materials, wherein helical and vortex-like structures-called skyrmions-are observed. However, the role of elastic fields in these topological phases remains unexplored. Here, we construct a molecular model of two-dimensional crystals incorporating steric anisotropy and chiral interactions to elucidate this problem. The coupling between the elastic fields and phase transitions between uniform, helical, and half-skyrmion phases can be utilized to switch these topological phases by external forces. Our results provide a fundamental physical principle for designing topological materials using chiral molecular and colloidal crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyohei Takae
- Department of Fundamental Engineering, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kawasaki
- Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
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23
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Liao J, Feng Y, Zhang J, Li H, Zhou G. Asymmetric chiral disazo dopants with high anisotropy for versatile modulation of liquid crystal optics. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.118151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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24
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Nemati A, Querciagrossa L, Callison C, Shadpour S, Nunes Gonçalves DP, Mori T, Cui X, Ai R, Wang J, Zannoni C, Hegmann T. Effects of shape and solute-solvent compatibility on the efficacy of chirality transfer: Nanoshapes in nematics. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl4385. [PMID: 35080976 PMCID: PMC8791610 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl4385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Chirality, as a concept, is well understood at most length scales. However, quantitative models predicting the efficacy of the transmission of chirality across length scales are lacking. We propose here a modus operandi for a chiral nanoshape solute in an achiral nematic liquid crystal host showing that that chirality transfer may be understood by unusually simple geometric considerations. This mechanism is based on the product of a pseudoscalar chirality indicator and of a geometric shape compatibility factor based on the two-dimensional isoperimetric quotients for each nanoshape solute. The model is tested on an experimental set of precisely engineered gold nanoshapes. These libraries of calculated and in-parallel acquired experimental data among related nanoshapes pave the way for predictive calculations of chirality transfer in nanoscale, macromolecular, and biological systems, from designing chiral discriminators and enantioselective catalysts to developing chiral metamaterials and understanding nature's innate ability to transfer homochirality across length scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahlam Nemati
- Materials Science Graduate Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | - Lara Querciagrossa
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale and INSTM, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Corinne Callison
- Materials Science Graduate Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | - Sasan Shadpour
- Materials Science Graduate Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | | | - Taizo Mori
- Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ximin Cui
- Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ruoqi Ai
- Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jianfang Wang
- Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Claudio Zannoni
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale and INSTM, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Corresponding author. (C.Z.); (T.H.)
| | - Torsten Hegmann
- Materials Science Graduate Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
- Corresponding author. (C.Z.); (T.H.)
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25
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Zhang M, Wang Y, Zhou Y, Yuan H, Guo Q, Zhuang T. Amplifying inorganic chirality using liquid crystals. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:592-601. [PMID: 34850801 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr06036h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Chiral inorganic nanostructures have drawn extensive attention thanks to their unique physical properties as well as multidisciplinary applications. Amplifying inorganic chirality using liquid crystals (LCs) is an efficient way to enhance the parented inorganic asymmetry owing to chirality transfer. Herein, the universal synthetic methods and structural characterizations of chiral inorganic-doped LC hybrids are introduced. Additionally, the current progress and status of recent experiment and theory research about chiral interactions between inorganic nanomaterials (e.g. metal, semiconductor, perovskite, and magnetic oxide) and LCs are summarized in this review. We further present representative applications of these new hybrids in the area of encryption, sensing, optics, etc. Finally, we provide perspectives on this field in terms of material variety, new synthesis, and future practice. It is envisaged that LCs will act as a pivotal part in the amplification of inorganic chirality with versatile applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingjiang Zhang
- Division of Nanomaterials & Chemistry, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Yaxin Wang
- Division of Nanomaterials & Chemistry, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Yajie Zhou
- Division of Nanomaterials & Chemistry, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Honghan Yuan
- Division of Nanomaterials & Chemistry, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
- Ganjiang Innovation Academy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ganzhou 341000, China
| | - Qi Guo
- Division of Nanomaterials & Chemistry, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Taotao Zhuang
- Division of Nanomaterials & Chemistry, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
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26
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Chiappini M, Dussi S, Frka-Petesic B, Vignolini S, Dijkstra M. Modeling the cholesteric pitch of apolar cellulose nanocrystal suspensions using a chiral hard-bundle model. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:014904. [PMID: 34998357 DOI: 10.1063/5.0076123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are naturally sourced elongated nanocolloids that form cholesteric phases in water and apolar solvents. It is well accepted that CNCs are made of bundles of crystalline microfibrils clustered side-by-side, and there is growing evidence that each individual microfibril is twisted. Yet, the origin of the chiral interactions between CNCs remains unclear. In this work, CNCs are described with a simple model of chiral hard splinters, enabling the prediction of the pitch using density functional theory and Monte Carlo simulations. The predicted pitch P compares well with experimental observations in cotton-based CNC dispersions in apolar solvents using surfactants but also with qualitative trends caused by fractionation or tip sonication in aqueous suspensions. These results suggest that the bundle shape induces an entropy-driven chiral interaction between CNCs, which is the missing link in explaining how chirality is transferred from the molecular scale of cellulose chains to the cholesteric order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Chiappini
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Simone Dussi
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bruno Frka-Petesic
- Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia Vignolini
- Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Marjolein Dijkstra
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
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27
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28
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Delepierre G, Traeger H, Adamcik J, Cranston ED, Weder C, Zoppe JO. Liquid Crystalline Properties of Symmetric and Asymmetric End-Grafted Cellulose Nanocrystals. Biomacromolecules 2021; 22:3552-3564. [PMID: 34297531 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c00644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The hydrophilic polymer poly[2-(2-(2-methoxy ethoxy)ethoxy)ethylacrylate] (POEG3A) was grafted onto the reducing end-groups (REGs) of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) allomorphs, and their liquid crystalline properties were investigated. The REGs on CNCs extracted from cellulose I (CNC-I) are exclusively located at one end of the crystallite, whereas CNCs extracted from cellulose II (CNC-II) feature REGs at both ends of the crystallite, so that grafting from the REGs affords asymmetrically and symmetrically decorated CNCs, respectively. To confirm the REG modification, several complementary analytical techniques were applied. The grafting of POEG3A onto the CNC REGs was evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and the coil-globule conformational transition of this polymer above 60 °C, i.e., its lower critical solution temperature. Furthermore, we investigated the self-assembly of end-tethered CNC-hybrids into chiral nematic liquid crystalline phases. Above a critical concentration, both end-grafted CNC allomorphs form chiral nematic tactoids. The introduction of POEG3A to CNC-I does not disturb the surface of the CNCs along the rods, allowing the modified CNCs to approach each other and form helicoidal textures. End-grafted CNC-II formed chiral nematic tactoids with a pitch observable by polarized optical microscopy. This is likely due to their increase in hydrodynamic radius or the introduced steric stabilization of the end-grafted polymer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwendoline Delepierre
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Hanna Traeger
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Jozef Adamcik
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Emily D Cranston
- Department of Wood Science, The University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada.,Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Christoph Weder
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Justin O Zoppe
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Av. Eduard Maristany 16, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
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29
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Moore TC, Anderson JA, Glotzer SC. Shape-driven entropic self-assembly of an open, reconfigurable, binary host-guest colloidal crystal. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:2840-2848. [PMID: 33564812 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm02073g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Entropically driven self-assembly of hard anisotropic particles, where particle shape gives rise to emergent valencies, provides a useful perspective for the design of nanoparticle and colloidal systems. Hard particles self-assemble into a rich variety of crystal structures, ranging in complexity from simple close-packed structures to structures with 432 particles in the unit cell. Entropic crystallization of open structures, however, is missing from this landscape. Here, we report the self-assembly of a two-dimensional binary mixture of hard particles into an open host-guest structure, where nonconvex, triangular host particles form a honeycomb lattice that encapsulates smaller guest particles. Notably, this open structure forms in the absence of enthalpic interactions by effectively splitting the structure into low- and high-entropy sublattices. This is the first such structure to be reported in a two-dimensional athermal system. We discuss the observed compartmentalization of entropy in this system, and show that the effect of the size of the guest particle on the stability of the structure gives rise to a reentrant phase behavior. This reentrance suggests the possibility for a reconfigurable colloidal material, and we provide a proof-of-concept by showing the assembly behavior while changing the size of the guest particles in situ. Our findings provide a strategy for designing open colloidal crystals, as well as binary systems that exhibit co-crystallization, which have been elusive thus far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy C Moore
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Joshua A Anderson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Sharon C Glotzer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. and Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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30
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Tsujinoue H, Nozawa T, Arai N. Cylindrical defect structures formed by chiral nematic liquid crystals in quasi-one-dimensional systems. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:16896-16904. [PMID: 32666995 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp01526a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Blue phases are three-dimensional self-assembly structures of liquid crystals with a lattice of line defects. They have attracted considerable interest as photonic materials. It is well known that blue phases occur in cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) under certain thermodynamic conditions; however, recent studies have indicated that confining surfaces may induce distinctive structural changes. For example, in a previous study, a quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) confinement system was investigated with the aid of numerical calculations, and a stable Q2D Skyrmion structure was attained. Here, we performed molecular simulations to investigate the CLC phase behavior at the molecular scale for a quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) nanotube system. Various morphological behaviors of CLCs were observed by changing the temperature and the radius of the nanotubes. In particular, we discovered a self-assembled structure with cylindrical (or ring-like) defects rather than lines by introducing a novel local orientation analysis. Our simulation results show that the self-assembly of CLCs offers a guide to control the intensity in Q1D systems and fundamental knowledge for their application to optical devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Tsujinoue
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan.
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31
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Schönhöfer PWA, Marechal M, Cleaver DJ, Schröder-Turk GE. Self-assembly and entropic effects in pear-shaped colloid systems. I. Shape sensitivity of bilayer phases in colloidal pear-shaped particle systems. J Chem Phys 2020; 153:034903. [PMID: 32716179 DOI: 10.1063/5.0007286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of particle shape in self-assembly processes is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, particle shape and particle elongation are often considered the most fundamental determinants of soft matter structure formation. On the other hand, structure formation is often highly sensitive to details of shape. Here, we address the question of particle shape sensitivity for the self-assembly of hard pear-shaped particles by studying two models for this system: (a) the pear hard Gaussian overlap (PHGO) and (b) the hard pears of revolution (HPR) model. Hard pear-shaped particles, given by the PHGO model, are known to form a bicontinuous gyroid phase spontaneously. However, this model does not replicate an additive object perfectly and, hence, varies slightly in shape from a "true" pear-shape. Therefore, we investigate in the first part of this series the stability of the gyroid phase in pear-shaped particle systems. We show, based on the HPR phase diagram, that the gyroid phase does not form in pears with such a "true" hard pear-shaped potential. Moreover, we acquire first indications from the HPR and PHGO pair-correlation functions that the formation of the gyroid is probably attributed to the small non-additive properties of the PHGO potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp W A Schönhöfer
- College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Mathematics and Statistics, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, 6150 Murdoch, WA, Australia
| | - Matthieu Marechal
- Institut für Theoretische Physik I, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstraße 7, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Douglas J Cleaver
- Materials and Engineering Research Institute, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, United Kingdom
| | - Gerd E Schröder-Turk
- College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Mathematics and Statistics, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, 6150 Murdoch, WA, Australia
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32
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Tortora MMC, Mishra G, Prešern D, Doye JPK. Chiral shape fluctuations and the origin of chirality in cholesteric phases of DNA origamis. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaw8331. [PMID: 32789165 PMCID: PMC7399560 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw8331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Lyotropic cholesteric liquid crystal phases are ubiquitously observed in biological and synthetic polymer solutions, characterized by a complex interplay between thermal fluctuations and entropic and enthalpic forces. The elucidation of the link between microscopic features and macroscopic chiral structure, and of the relative roles of these competing contributions on phase organization, remains a topical issue. Here, we provide theoretical evidence of a previously unidentified mechanism of chirality amplification in lyotropic liquid crystals, whereby phase chirality is governed by fluctuation-stabilized helical deformations in the conformations of their constituent molecules. Our results compare favorably to recent experimental studies of DNA origami assemblies and demonstrate the influence of intramolecular mechanics on chiral supramolecular order, with potential implications for a broad class of experimentally relevant colloidal systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime M. C. Tortora
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
| | - Garima Mishra
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India
| | - Domen Prešern
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
| | - Jonathan P. K. Doye
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
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33
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Rolland N, Mehandzhiyski AY, Garg M, Linares M, Zozoulenko IV. New Patchy Particle Model with Anisotropic Patches for Molecular Dynamics Simulations: Application to a Coarse-Grained Model of Cellulose Nanocrystal. J Chem Theory Comput 2020; 16:3699-3711. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c00259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Rolland
- Laboratory of Organic Electronics, ITN, Linköping University, SE-601 74 Norrköping, Sweden
| | | | - Mohit Garg
- Laboratory of Organic Electronics, ITN, Linköping University, SE-601 74 Norrköping, Sweden
| | - Mathieu Linares
- Laboratory of Organic Electronics, ITN, Linköping University, SE-601 74 Norrköping, Sweden
- Scientific Visualization Group, ITN, Linköping University, SE-601 74 Norrköping, Sweden
- Swedish e-Science Research Centre (SeRC), Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Igor V. Zozoulenko
- Laboratory of Organic Electronics, ITN, Linköping University, SE-601 74 Norrköping, Sweden
- Wallenberg Wood Science Center, Linköping University, SE-601 74 Norrköping, Sweden
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34
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Nemati A, Shadpour S, Querciagrossa L, Mori T, Zannoni C, Hegmann T. Highly Sensitive, Tunable Chirality Amplification through Space Visualized for Gold Nanorods Capped with Axially Chiral Binaphthyl Derivatives. ACS NANO 2019; 13:10312-10326. [PMID: 31424907 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b03787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The creation and transmission of chirality in molecular systems is a well-known, widely applied notion. Our understanding of how the chirality of nanomaterials can be controlled, measured, transmitted through space, and applied is less well understood. Dynamic assemblies for chiral sensing or metamaterials engineered from chiral nanomaterials require exact methods to determine transmission and amplification of nanomaterial chirality through space. We report the synthesis of a series of gold nanorods (GNRs) with a constant aspect ratio of ∼4.3 capped with C2-symmetric, axially chiral binaphthyl thiols, preparation of dispersions in the nematic liquid crystal 5CB, measurements of the helical pitch, and the determination of the helical twisting power as well as the average distance between the chiral nanomaterial additives. By comparison to the neat organic chiral derivatives, we demonstrate how the amplification of chirality facilitated by GNRs decorated with chiral molecules can be used to clearly distinguish the chiral induction strength of a homologous series of binaphthyl derivatives, differing only in the length of the nontethered aliphatic chain, in the induced chiral nematic liquid crystal phase. Considering systematic errors in sample preparation and optical measurements, these chiral molecules would otherwise be deemed identical with respect to chiral induction. Notably, we find some of the highest ever-reported values of the helical twisting power. We further support our experimentally derived arguments of a more comprehensive understanding of chirality transfer by calculations of a suitable pseudoscalar chirality indicator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahlam Nemati
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program , Kent State University , Kent , Ohio 44242 , United States
| | - Sasan Shadpour
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program , Kent State University , Kent , Ohio 44242 , United States
| | - Lara Querciagrossa
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari" and INSTM , Università di Bologna , Viale Risorgimento 4 , IT-40136 Bologna , Italy
| | - Taizo Mori
- Graduate School of Frontier Science , The University of Tokyo , 5-1-5, Kashiwanoha , Kashiwa 277-0827 , Japan
| | - Claudio Zannoni
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari" and INSTM , Università di Bologna , Viale Risorgimento 4 , IT-40136 Bologna , Italy
| | - Torsten Hegmann
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program , Kent State University , Kent , Ohio 44242 , United States
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Kent State University , Kent , Ohio 44242 , United States
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35
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Chiappini M, Drwenski T, van Roij R, Dijkstra M. Biaxial, Twist-bend, and Splay-bend Nematic Phases of Banana-shaped Particles Revealed by Lifting the "Smectic Blanket". PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 123:068001. [PMID: 31491177 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.123.068001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We perform an extensive computational study on the phase behavior of hard banana-shaped particles, and show that biaxial, twist-bend, and splay-bend nematic phases are metastable with respect to a smectic phase for a system of hard bent spherocylinders. However, if the smectic phase is destabilized-either by polydispersity in the particle length or by curvature in the particle shape-stable biaxial, twist-bend, and splay-bend nematic phases are obtained. This provides a unified and consistent picture on the subtle role of particle shape on the phase behavior of bent rods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Chiappini
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Department of Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, Utrecht 3584 CC, The Netherlands
| | - Tara Drwenski
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - René van Roij
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marjolein Dijkstra
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Department of Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, Utrecht 3584 CC, The Netherlands
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36
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Wu L, Sun H. Manipulation of cholesteric liquid crystal phase behavior and molecular assembly by molecular chirality. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:022703. [PMID: 31574769 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.022703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Molecular simulation is used to study the effect of molecular chirality on liquid crystalline phase transition and molecular assembly behavior. Based on a flexible chain (FCh) model with helical arrangement of side beads, the phase behavior of FCh models with various molecular chiralities are studied as functions of pressure (or density). By modifying the molecular chirality of FCh, we can manipulate the relative stability of the nematic and cholesteric phases continuously; and we found that increasing molecular chirality may destabilize cholesteric order due to the effective reduction of chiral interactions. A semismectic phase is identified in the high-density region, in which the two-dimensional fluid layers overlap due to shift alignment formed by FCh particles. The global phase diagram of the FCh model is constructed and the potential energy surface is calculated to elucidate the formation of cholesteric phase in terms of two-body interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Wu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Materials Genome Initiative Center, and Key Laboratory of Scientific and Engineering Computing of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Huai Sun
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Materials Genome Initiative Center, and Key Laboratory of Scientific and Engineering Computing of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
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37
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P. Allen
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, Royal Fort, Bristol, UK
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38
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van der Meer B, van Damme R, Dijkstra M, Smallenburg F, Filion L. Revealing a Vacancy Analog of the Crowdion Interstitial in Simple Cubic Crystals. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2018; 121:258001. [PMID: 30608787 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.121.258001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Vacancies in simple cubic crystals of hard cubes are known to delocalize over one-dimensional chains of several lattice sites. Here, we use computer simulations to examine the structure and dynamics of vacancies in simple cubic crystals formed by hard cubes, right rhombic prisms (slanted cubes), truncated cubes, and particles interacting via a soft isotropic pair potential. We show that these vacancies form a vacancy analog of the crowdion interstitial, generating a strain field which follows a soliton solution of the sine-Gordon equation, and diffusing via a persistent random walk. Surprisingly, we find that the structure of these "voidions" is not significantly affected by changes in density, vacancy concentration, and even particle interaction. We explain this structure quantitatively using a one-dimensional model that includes the free-energy barrier particles have to overcome to slide between lattice sites and the effective pair interaction along this line. We argue that voidions are a robust phenomenon in systems of repulsive particles forming simple cubic crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- B van der Meer
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - R van Damme
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - M Dijkstra
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - F Smallenburg
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Univ. Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - L Filion
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
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39
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Ghazi SM, Aliabadi R. Validation study of using the free volume approximation to confined thermotropic and lyotropic liquid-crystalline fluids. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2018; 41:112. [PMID: 30244384 DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2018-11725-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We examined the accuracy of the free volume approximation (FVA) to calculate the isotropic-nematic (IN) transition properties of thermotropic and lyotropic rods between two parallel hard walls. This approximation has been proposed to ease the calculation of the confined systems. It approximates the free energy of the confined particles with a bulk free energy. It predicts a special point for these two types of liquid crystals where the first-order IN transition changes to the second one by decreasing either the temperature, the density or the pore width. This prediction is in contradiction (in spite of some qualitative agreement) with those of the other publications where the authors note that the discontinuous transition terminates at the critical point when the walls are completely impenetrable.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Ghazi
- Physics Department, College of Science, Fasa University, Fasa, Iran.
| | - R Aliabadi
- Physics Department, College of Science, Fasa University, Fasa, Iran
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40
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Nemati A, Shadpour S, Querciagrossa L, Li L, Mori T, Gao M, Zannoni C, Hegmann T. Chirality amplification by desymmetrization of chiral ligand-capped nanoparticles to nanorods quantified in soft condensed matter. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3908. [PMID: 30254259 PMCID: PMC6156227 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06400-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Induction, transmission, and manipulation of chirality in molecular systems are well known, widely applied concepts. However, our understanding of how chirality of nanoscale entities can be controlled, measured, and transmitted to the environment is considerably lacking behind. Future discoveries of dynamic assemblies engineered from chiral nanomaterials, with a specific focus on shape and size effects, require exact methods to assess transmission and amplification of nanoscale chirality through space. Here we present a remarkably powerful chirality amplification approach by desymmetrization of plasmonic nanoparticles to nanorods. When bound to gold nanorods, a one order of magnitude lower number of chiral molecules induces a tighter helical distortion in the surrounding liquid crystal-a remarkable amplification of chirality through space. The change in helical distortion is consistent with a quantification of the change in overall chirality of the chiral ligand decorated nanomaterials differing in shape and size as calculated from a suitable pseudoscalar chirality indicator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahlam Nemati
- Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA
| | - Sasan Shadpour
- Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA
| | - Lara Querciagrossa
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari" and INSTM, Università di Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, IT-40136, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lin Li
- Institute for Smart Liquid Crystals, JITRI, Changshu, 215500, Jiangsu, China
| | - Taizo Mori
- Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044, Japan
| | - Min Gao
- Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA
| | - Claudio Zannoni
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari" and INSTM, Università di Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, IT-40136, Bologna, Italy
| | - Torsten Hegmann
- Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242-0001, USA.
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41
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Nozawa T, Brumby PE, Yasuoka K. Effect of Central Longitudinal Dipole Interactions on Chiral Liquid-Crystal Phases. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19092715. [PMID: 30208651 PMCID: PMC6164681 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19092715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Monte Carlo simulations of chiral liquid-crystals, represented by a simple coarse-grained chiral Gay–Berne model, were performed to investigate the effect of central longitudinal dipole interactions on phase behavior. A systematic analysis of the structural properties and phase behavior of both achiral and chiral systems, with dipole interactions, reveals differing effects; strong dipole interactions enhance the formation of layered structures; however, chiral interactions may prevent the formation of such phases under certain conditions. We also observed a short-ranged smectic structure within the cholesteric phases with strong dipole interactions. This constitutes possible evidence of presmectic ordering and/or the existence of chiral line liquid phases, which have previously been observed in X-ray experiments to occur between the smectic twisted grain boundary and cholesteric phases. These results provide a systematic understanding of how the phase behavior of chiral liquid-crystals changes when alterations are made to the strength of dipole interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuma Nozawa
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan.
| | - Paul E Brumby
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan.
| | - Kenji Yasuoka
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan.
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42
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Yang Y, Chen P, Cao Y, Huang Z, Zhu G, Xu Z, Dai X, Chen S, Miao B, Yan LT. How Implementation of Entropy in Driving Structural Ordering of Nanoparticles Relates to Assembly Kinetics: Insight into Reaction-Induced Interfacial Assembly of Janus Nanoparticles. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2018; 34:9477-9488. [PMID: 30016871 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b01378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The ability to understand and exploit entropic contributions to ordering transition is of essential importance in the design of self-assembling systems with well-controlled structures. However, much less is known about the role of assembly kinetics in entropy-driven phase behaviors. Here, by combining computer simulations and theoretical analysis, we report that the implementation of entropy in driving phase transition significantly depends on the kinetic process in the reaction-induced self-assembly of newly designed nanoparticle systems. In particular, such systems comprise binary Janus nanoparticles at the fluid-fluid interface and undergo phase transition driven by entropy and controlled by the polymerization reaction initiated from the surfaces of just one component of nanoparticles. Our simulations demonstrate that the competition between the reaction rate and the diffusive dynamics of nanoparticles governs the implementation of entropy in driving the phase transition from randomly mixed phase to intercalated phase in these interfacial nanoparticle mixtures, which thereby results in diverse kinetic pathways. At low reaction rates, the transition exhibits abrupt jump in the mixing parameter, in a similar way to first-order, equilibrium phase transition. Increasing the reaction rate diminishes the jumps until the transitions become continuous, behaving as a second-order-like phase transition, where a critical exponent, characterizing the transition, can be identified. We finally develop an analytical model of the blob theory of polymer chains to complement the simulation results and reveal essential scaling laws of the entropy-driven phase behaviors. In effect, our results allow for further opportunities to amplify the entropic contributions to the materials design via kinetic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Pengyu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Yufei Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Zihan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Guolong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Ziyang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Xiaobin Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Shi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Bing Miao
- College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology , University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
| | - Li-Tang Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
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43
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Burian M, Karner C, Yarema M, Heiss W, Amenitsch H, Dellago C, Lechner RT. A Shape-Induced Orientation Phase within 3D Nanocrystal Solids. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2018; 30:e1802078. [PMID: 29944182 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201802078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2018] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
When nanocrystals self assemble into ordered superstructures they form functional solids that may inherit the electronical properties of the single nanocrystals. To what extent these properties are enhanced depends on the positional and orientational order of the nanocrystals within the superstructure. Here, the formation of micrometer-sized free-standing supercrystals of faceted 20 nm Bi nanocrystals is investigated. The self-assembly process, induced by nonsolvent into solvent diffusion, is probed in situ by synchrotron X-ray scattering. The diffusion-gradient is identified as the critical parameter for controlling the supercrystal-structure as well as the alignment of the supercrystals with respect to the substrate. Monte Carlo simulations confirm the positional order of the nanocrystals within these superstructures and reveal a unique orientation phase: the nanocrystal shape, determined by the atomic Bi crystal structure, induces a total of 6 global orientations based on facet-to-facet alignment. This parallel alignment of facets is a prerequisite for optimized electronic and optical properties within designed nanocrystal solids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Burian
- Institute of Physics, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, 8700, Leoben, Austria
- Institute for Inorganic Chemistry, Graz University of Technology, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Carina Karner
- Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, 1090, Wien, Austria
| | - Maksym Yarema
- Laboratory for Nanoelectronics, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Wolfgang Heiss
- Materials Science Department (Materials for Electronics and Energy Technology), Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Energy Campus Nürnberg, Nürnberg, 90429, Germany
| | - Heinz Amenitsch
- Institute for Inorganic Chemistry, Graz University of Technology, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Rainer T Lechner
- Institute of Physics, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, 8700, Leoben, Austria
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44
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Wang H, Liu B, Wang L, Chen X, Chen Z, Qi Y, Cui G, Xie H, Zhang Y, Liu Z. Graphene Glass Inducing Multidomain Orientations in Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Devices toward Wide Viewing Angles. ACS NANO 2018; 12:6443-6451. [PMID: 29787229 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b01773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The photonic reflection of a cholesteric liquid crystal (ChLC) device depends on the spatial distribution of the orientations of their helical axes, and many orientation techniques have been developed so far. In this study, we select the hybrids of graphene directly grown on quartz glass as platforms to construct ChLC-based devices. This special design makes graphene serve as both an alignment layer and a conductive layer, thus affording a more simplified device fabrication route. We reveal that multidomain structures can be evolved for ChLCs on polycrystalline monolayer graphene on quartz glass, as evidenced by polarized optical microscope characterizations. The disparate orientations of the helical axes of ChLCs and the formation of multidomain structures are proposed to be induced by the different domain orientations of graphene, leading to a wide viewing angle of the ChLC-based devices. Moreover, the pitch of ChLCs is also observed to play a key role in the relative orientations of ChLCs. A wide viewing angle of the ChLC-based device is also detected especially in the infrared spectrum region. Briefly, this work should provoke the application of graphene glass as a perfect transparent electrode in the fabrication of liquid-crystal-based devices showing broad application potentials in intelligent laser protection and energy-saving smart windows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huihui Wang
- Center for Nanochemistry (CNC), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies , Peking University , Beijing 100871 , People's Republic of China
| | - Bingzhi Liu
- Center for Nanochemistry (CNC), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies , Peking University , Beijing 100871 , People's Republic of China
| | - Ling Wang
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering , Texas A&M University , College Station , Texas 77840 , United States
| | - Xudong Chen
- Beijing Graphene Institute , Beijing 100091 , People's Republic of China
| | - Zhaolong Chen
- Center for Nanochemistry (CNC), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies , Peking University , Beijing 100871 , People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Qi
- Center for Nanochemistry (CNC), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies , Peking University , Beijing 100871 , People's Republic of China
| | - Guang Cui
- Center for Nanochemistry (CNC), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies , Peking University , Beijing 100871 , People's Republic of China
| | - Huanhuan Xie
- Center for Nanochemistry (CNC), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies , Peking University , Beijing 100871 , People's Republic of China
| | - Yanfeng Zhang
- Center for Nanochemistry (CNC), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies , Peking University , Beijing 100871 , People's Republic of China
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering , Peking University , Beijing 100871 , People's Republic of China
- Beijing Graphene Institute , Beijing 100091 , People's Republic of China
| | - Zhongfan Liu
- Center for Nanochemistry (CNC), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies , Peking University , Beijing 100871 , People's Republic of China
- Beijing Graphene Institute , Beijing 100091 , People's Republic of China
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45
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Nyström G, Arcari M, Adamcik J, Usov I, Mezzenga R. Nanocellulose Fragmentation Mechanisms and Inversion of Chirality from the Single Particle to the Cholesteric Phase. ACS NANO 2018; 12:5141-5148. [PMID: 29758157 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b00512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how nanostructure and nanomechanics influence physical material properties on the micro- and macroscale is an essential goal in soft condensed matter research. Mechanisms governing fragmentation and chirality inversion of filamentous colloids are of specific interest because of their critical role in load-bearing and self-organizing functionalities of soft nanomaterials. Here we provide a fundamental insight into the self-organization across several length scales of nanocellulose, an important biocolloid system with wide-ranging applications as structural, insulating, and functional material. Through a combined microscopic and statistical analysis of nanocellulose fibrils at the single particle level, we show how mechanically and chemically induced fragmentations proceed in this system. Moreover, by studying the bottom-up self-assembly of fragmented carboxylated cellulose nanofibrils into cholesteric liquid crystals, we show via direct microscopic observations that the chirality is inverted from right-handed at the nanofibril level to left-handed at the level of the liquid crystal phase. These results improve our fundamental understanding of nanocellulose and provide an important rationale for its application in colloidal systems, liquid crystals, and nanomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustav Nyström
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology , ETH Zurich , Schmelzbergstrasse 9 , 8092 Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Mario Arcari
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology , ETH Zurich , Schmelzbergstrasse 9 , 8092 Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Jozef Adamcik
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology , ETH Zurich , Schmelzbergstrasse 9 , 8092 Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Ivan Usov
- Paul Scherrer Institute , 5232 Villigen , Switzerland
| | - Raffaele Mezzenga
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology , ETH Zurich , Schmelzbergstrasse 9 , 8092 Zurich , Switzerland
- Department of Materials , ETH Zurich , Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10 , 8093 Zurich , Switzerland
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46
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Tortora MMC, Doye JPK. Hierarchical bounding structures for efficient virial computations: Towards a realistic molecular description of cholesterics. J Chem Phys 2018; 147:224504. [PMID: 29246043 DOI: 10.1063/1.5002666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We detail the application of bounding volume hierarchies to accelerate second-virial evaluations for arbitrary complex particles interacting through hard and soft finite-range potentials. This procedure, based on the construction of neighbour lists through the combined use of recursive atom-decomposition techniques and binary overlap search schemes, is shown to scale sub-logarithmically with particle resolution in the case of molecular systems with high aspect ratios. Its implementation within an efficient numerical and theoretical framework based on classical density functional theory enables us to investigate the cholesteric self-assembly of a wide range of experimentally relevant particle models. We illustrate the method through the determination of the cholesteric behavior of hard, structurally resolved twisted cuboids, and report quantitative evidence of the long-predicted phase handedness inversion with increasing particle thread angles near the phenomenological threshold value of 45°. Our results further highlight the complex relationship between microscopic structure and helical twisting power in such model systems, which may be attributed to subtle geometric variations of their chiral excluded-volume manifold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime M C Tortora
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan P K Doye
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
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47
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Tasios N, Dijkstra M. A simulation study on the phase behavior of hard rhombic platelets. J Chem Phys 2018; 146:144901. [PMID: 28411607 DOI: 10.1063/1.4979517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Using Monte Carlo simulations, we investigate the phase behavior of hard rhombic platelets as a function of the thickness of the platelets, T. The phase diagram displays a columnar phase and a crystal phase in which the platelets are stacked in columns that are arranged in a two-dimensional lattice. We find that the shape of the platelets determines the symmetry of the two-dimensional lattice, i.e., rhombic platelets form an oblique columnar phase and a simple monoclinic crystal phase. For sufficiently thick platelets, i.e., for a thickness-to-length ratio T/L>0.17, we find only an isotropic fluid, an oblique columnar phase, and a monoclinic crystal phase. Surprisingly, for an intermediate plate thickness, 0.083<T/L<0.17, we also find a region in between the isotropic (or nematic) phase and the columnar phase, where the smectic phase is stable. For sufficiently thin platelets, T/L<0.13, the phase diagram displays a nematic phase. With the exception of the smectic phase, our results resemble the phase behavior of discotic particles. Our results may guide the synthesis and future experiments on rhombic nanoplatelets.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Tasios
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - M Dijkstra
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
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48
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Dussi S, Chiappini M, Dijkstra M. On the stability and finite-size effects of a columnar phase in single-component systems of hard-rod-like particles. Mol Phys 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/00268976.2018.1471231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simone Dussi
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Massimiliano Chiappini
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marjolein Dijkstra
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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49
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Dussi S, Tasios N, Drwenski T, van Roij R, Dijkstra M. Hard Competition: Stabilizing the Elusive Biaxial Nematic Phase in Suspensions of Colloidal Particles with Extreme Lengths. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2018; 120:177801. [PMID: 29756829 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.120.177801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We use computer simulations to study the existence and stability of a biaxial nematic N_{b} phase in systems of hard polyhedral cuboids, triangular prisms, and rhombic platelets, characterized by a long (L), medium (M), and short (S) particle axis. For all three shape families, we find stable N_{b} states provided the shape is not only close to the so-called dual shape with M=sqrt[LS] but also sufficiently anisotropic with L/S>9,11,14,23 for rhombi, (two types of) triangular prisms, and cuboids, respectively, corresponding to anisotropies not considered before. Surprisingly, a direct isotropic-N_{b} transition does not occur in these systems due to a destabilization of N_{b} by a smectic (for cuboids and prisms) or a columnar (for platelets) phase at small L/S or by an intervening uniaxial nematic phase at large L/S. Our results are confirmed by a density functional theory provided the third virial coefficient is included and a continuous rather than a discrete (Zwanzig) set of particle orientations is taken into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Dussi
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Nikos Tasios
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Tara Drwenski
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - René van Roij
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Marjolein Dijkstra
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
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50
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Zhu G, Huang Z, Xu Z, Yan LT. Tailoring Interfacial Nanoparticle Organization through Entropy. Acc Chem Res 2018; 51:900-909. [PMID: 29589915 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.8b00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The ability to tailor the interfacial behaviors of nanoparticles (NPs) is crucial not only for the design of novel nanostructured materials with superior properties and of interest for many promising applications such as water purification, enhanced oil recovery, and innovative energy transduction, but also for a better insight into many biological systems where nanoscale particles such as proteins or viruses can interact and organize at certain interfaces. As a class of emerging building blocks, Janus NPs consisting of two compartments of different chemistry or polarity are ideal candidates to generate tunable and stable interfacial nanostructures because of the asymmetric nature. However, precise control over such interfacial nanostructures toward a controllable order and even responses to various external stimuli still remains a great challenge as the interfaces do not simply serve as a scaffold but rather induce complex enthalpic and entropic interactions. In this Account, we focus on our efforts on exploiting entropy strategies based on computational design to tailor the spatial distribution and ordering of NPs at the interfaces of various systems. First, we introduce the physical principle of entropic ordering, being the theoretical basis of entropy-directed interfacial self-assembly. The typical types of entropy, which have been harnessed to manipulate the interfacial NP organization, are then summarized, including conformational entropy, shape entropy, and rotational and vibrational entropy. Next, we describe the emerging pathways in the development of novel environmentally responsive systems which involve the use of entropy to access the stimuli-responsive behaviors of interfacial nanostructures. Taking one step further, how molecular architectures can be tailored to tune the entropic contributions to the interfacial self-assembly is demonstrated, through identifying the effects of various intrinsic properties of block segments, such as chain length and stiffness, on entropy-governed precise organization of Janus NPs at block copolymer interfaces. Finally, we detail some key factors for tailoring interfacial organization through entropy. In summary, entropy strategies offer a promising and abundant framework for precisely programming the structural organization of NPs at interfaces. We discuss future directions to signify the framework in tailoring the interfacial organization of NPs. We hope that this Account will promote further efforts toward fundamental research and the wide applications of designed interfacial assemblies in new types of functional nanomaterials and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guolong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Zihan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Ziyang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Li-Tang Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
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