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Dallari F, Lokteva I, Möller J, Roseker W, Goy C, Westermeier F, Boesenberg U, Hallmann J, Rodriguez-Fernandez A, Scholz M, Shayduk R, Madsen A, Grübel G, Lehmkühler F. Real-time swelling-collapse kinetics of nanogels driven by XFEL pulses. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadm7876. [PMID: 38640237 PMCID: PMC11029799 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adm7876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Stimuli-responsive polymers are an important class of materials with many applications in nanotechnology and drug delivery. The most prominent one is poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAm). The characterization of the kinetics of its change after a temperature jump is still a lively research topic, especially at nanometer-length scales where it is not possible to rely on conventional microscopic techniques. Here, we measured in real time the collapse of a PNIPAm shell on silica nanoparticles with megahertz x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy at the European XFEL. We characterize the changes of the particles diffusion constant as a function of time and consequently local temperature on sub-microsecond timescales. We developed a phenomenological model to describe the observed data and extract the characteristic times associated to the swelling and collapse processes. Different from previous studies tracking the turbidity of PNIPAm dispersions and using laser heating, we find collapse times below microsecond timescales and two to three orders of magnitude slower swelling times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Dallari
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics and Astronmy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Irina Lokteva
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Möller
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Wojciech Roseker
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Claudia Goy
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Fabian Westermeier
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Boesenberg
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Jörg Hallmann
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | | | - Markus Scholz
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Roman Shayduk
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Anders Madsen
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Gerhard Grübel
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Felix Lehmkühler
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
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2
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Papadakis CM, Niebuur BJ, Schulte A. Thermoresponsive Polymers under Pressure with a Focus on Poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM). LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:1-20. [PMID: 38149782 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Pressure is a key variable in the phase behavior of responsive polymers, both for applications and from a fundamental point of view. In this feature article, we review recent developments, particularly applications of neutron techniques such as small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS), across the temperature-pressure phase diagram. These are complemented by kinetic SANS experiments following pressure jumps. In the prototype system poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), QENS revealed the pressure-dependent characteristics of hydration water around the lower critical solution temperature transition. The size, water content, and inner structure of the mesoglobules formed in the two-phase region depend strongly on pressure, as shown by SANS. Beside these changes at the phase transition, the mesoglobule formation at low pressure is determined by kinetic factors, namely the formation of a polymer-rich, rigid shell, which hampers further growth by coalescence. At high pressure, in contrast, the growth proceeds by diffusion-limited coalescence without any kinetic hindrance. The disintegration of the mesoglobules evolves either via chain release from their surface or via swelling, depending on the osmotic pressure of the water. Moreover, we report on the profound influence of pressure on the cononsolvency effect. In the temperature-pressure frame, the one-phase region is hugely expanded upon the addition of the cosolvent methanol. SANS experiments unveil the enthalpic and entropic contributions to the effective Flory-Huggins interaction parameter between the segments and the solvent mixture. QENS experiments demonstrate an increase in polymer associated water with pressure, whereas methanol is released. Correspondingly, the solvent phase becomes enriched in methanol, providing a mechanism for the breakdown of cononsolvency at a high pressure. Finally, we outline future opportunities for high-pressure studies of thermoresponsive polymers, with a focus on neutron methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Papadakis
- TUM School of Natural Sciences, Physics Department, Soft Matter Physics Group, Technical University of Munich, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Bart-Jan Niebuur
- TUM School of Natural Sciences, Physics Department, Soft Matter Physics Group, Technical University of Munich, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Alfons Schulte
- Department of Physics and College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, 4111 Libra Drive, Orlando, Florida 32816-2385, United States
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3
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Kang J, Li H. Multiphysics modeling for pressure-thermal sensitive hydrogels. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:2882-2889. [PMID: 36629076 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp04868j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Some smart hydrogels, like poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) hydrogels, are sensitive to both stimulus hydrostatic pressure and temperature. The model for thermal-sensitive only hydrogels has been well established in the past two decades. In this work, by combining Flory's mean-field theory and Poisson-Nernst-Planck nonlinear equations, we develop a multiphysics model coupling chemo-electro-thermal-mechanical fields which can quantitatively calculate both hydrostatic pressure and thermal sensitivity of hydrogels in an electrolyte bathing solution. Considering PNIPA hydrogels as an example, the proposed model is validated by comparing the numerical results with experimental results reported in the literature. We investigate the influences of initial fixed-charge density, temperature, hydrostatic pressure, and bathing solution concentration on the volume expansion ratio of the hydrogels. Moreover, the concentration of mobile ions and distribution of electric potential within the hydrogel body and bathing solution are quantitatively predicted. The model and results obtained in this paper can be used to better understand the response of smart hydrogels sensitive to both hydrostatic pressure and temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingtian Kang
- Key Laboratory of Structural Dynamics of Liaoning Province, College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, P. R. China. .,School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Republic of Singapore.
| | - Hua Li
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Republic of Singapore.
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Micciulla S, Gutfreund P, Kanduč M, Chiappisi L. Pressure-Induced Phase Transitions of Nonionic Polymer Brushes. Macromolecules 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Micciulla
- Institut Max von Laue - Paul Langevin, 71 avenue des Martyrs, 38042Grenoble, France
| | - Philipp Gutfreund
- Institut Max von Laue - Paul Langevin, 71 avenue des Martyrs, 38042Grenoble, France
| | - Matej Kanduč
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Leonardo Chiappisi
- Institut Max von Laue - Paul Langevin, 71 avenue des Martyrs, 38042Grenoble, France
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Pérez-Ramírez HA, Moncho-Jordá A, Odriozola G. Phenol release from pNIPAM hydrogels: scaling molecular dynamics simulations with dynamical density functional theory. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:8271-8284. [PMID: 36278506 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01083f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We employed molecular dynamic simulations (MD) and the Bennett's acceptance ratio method to compute the free energy of transfer, ΔGtrans, of phenol, methane, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), between bulk water and water-pNIPAM mixtures of different polymer volume fractions, ϕp. For this purpose, we first calculate the solvation free energies in both media to obtain ΔGtrans. Phenol and 5-FU (a medication used to treat cancer) attach to the pNIPAM surface so that they show negative values of ΔGtrans irrespective of temperature (above or below the lower critical solution temperature of pNIPAM, Tc). Conversely, methane switches the ΔGtrans sign when considering temperatures below (positive) and above (negative) Tc. In all cases, and contrasting with some theoretical predictions, ΔGtrans maintains a linear behavior with the pNIPAM concentration up to large polymer densities. We have also employed MD to compute the diffusion coefficient, D, of phenol in water-pNIPAM mixtures as a function of ϕp in the diluted limit. Both ΔGtrans and D as a function of ϕp are required inputs to obtain the release halftime of hollow pNIPAM microgels through Dynamic Density Functional Theory (DDFT). Our scaling strategy captures the experimental value of 2200 s for 50 μm radius microgels with no cavity, for ϕp ≃ 0.83 at 315 K.
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Affiliation(s)
- H A Pérez-Ramírez
- Área de Física de Procesos Irreversibles, División de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco, Avenida San Pablo 180, 02200 Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - A Moncho-Jordá
- Departamento de Física Aplicada, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva S/N, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - G Odriozola
- Área de Física de Procesos Irreversibles, División de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco, Avenida San Pablo 180, 02200 Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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6
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Peña JA, Du XJ, Xing JF. One-step grafting reaction of thermoresponsive polymer brushes over silica nanoparticles. Colloid Polym Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00396-022-05012-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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7
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Cononsolvency of the responsive polymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) in water/methanol mixtures: a dynamic light scattering study of the effect of pressure on the collective dynamics. Colloid Polym Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00396-022-04987-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The collective dynamics of 25 wt% poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) solutions in water or an 80:20 v/v water/methanol mixture are investigated in the one-phase region in dependence on pressure and temperature using dynamic light scattering. Throughout, two dynamic modes are observed, the fast one corresponding to the relaxation of the chain segments within the polymer blobs and the slow one to the relaxation of the blobs. A pressure scan in the one-phase region on an aqueous solution at 34.0 °C, i.e., slightly below the maximum of the coexistence line, reveals that the dynamic correlation length of the fast mode increases when the left and the right branch of the coexistence line are approached. Thus, the chains are rather swollen far away from the coexistence line, but contracted near the phase transition. Temperature scans of solutions in neat H2O or in H2O/CD3OD at 0.1, 130, and 200 MPa reveal that the dynamic correlation length of the fast mode shows critical behavior. However, the critical exponents are significantly larger than the value predicted by mean-field theory for the static correlation length, ν = 0.5, and the exponent is significantly larger for the solution in the H2O/CD3OD mixture than in neat H2O.
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Tavagnacco L, Zaccarelli E, Chiessi E. Modeling Solution Behavior of Poly( N-isopropylacrylamide): A Comparison between Water Models. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:3778-3788. [PMID: 35491838 PMCID: PMC9150113 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c00637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Water is known to
play a fundamental role in determining the structure
and functionality of macromolecules. The same crucial contribution
is also found in the in silico description of polymer aqueous solutions.
In this work, we exploit the widely investigated synthetic polymer
poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) to understand
the effect of the adopted water model on its solution behavior and
to refine the computational setup. By means of atomistic molecular
dynamics simulations, we perform a comparative study of PNIPAM aqueous
solution using two advanced water models: TIP4P/2005 and TIP4P/Ice.
The conformation and hydration features of an atactic 30-mer at infinite
dilution are probed at a range of temperature and pressure suitable
to detect the coil-to-globule transition and to map the P–T
phase diagram. Although both water models can reproduce the temperature-induced
coil-to-globule transition at atmospheric pressure and the polymer
hydration enhancement that occurs with increasing pressure, the PNIPAM–TIP4P/Ice
solution shows better agreement with experimental findings. This result
can be attributed to a stronger interaction of TIP4P/Ice water with
both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups of PNIPAM, as well as to a
less favorable contribution of the solvent entropy to the coil-to-globule
transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letizia Tavagnacco
- CNR-ISC and Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale A, Moro 2, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Emanuela Zaccarelli
- CNR-ISC and Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale A, Moro 2, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Ester Chiessi
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica I, Rome 00133, Italy
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Baul U, Göth N, Bley M, Dzubiella J. Modulating internal transition kinetics of responsive macromolecules by collective crowding. J Chem Phys 2021; 155:244902. [PMID: 34972378 DOI: 10.1063/5.0076139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Packing and crowding are used in biology as mechanisms to (self-)regulate internal molecular or cellular processes based on collective signaling. Here, we study how the transition kinetics of an internal "switch" of responsive macromolecules is modified collectively by their spatial packing. We employ Brownian dynamics simulations of a model of Responsive Colloids, in which an explicit internal degree of freedom-here, the particle size-moving in a bimodal energy landscape self-consistently responds to the density fluctuations of the crowded environment. We demonstrate that populations and transition times for the two-state switching kinetics can be tuned over one order of magnitude by "self-crowding." An exponential scaling law derived from a combination of Kramers' and liquid state perturbation theory is in very good agreement with the simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Upayan Baul
- Applied Theoretical Physics-Computational Physics, Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nils Göth
- Applied Theoretical Physics-Computational Physics, Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Bley
- Applied Theoretical Physics-Computational Physics, Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Joachim Dzubiella
- Applied Theoretical Physics-Computational Physics, Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
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10
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Niebuur BJ, Lohstroh W, Ko CH, Appavou MS, Schulte A, Papadakis CM. Pressure Dependence of Water Dynamics in Concentrated Aqueous Poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) Solutions with a Methanol Cosolvent. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c00111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bart-Jan Niebuur
- Physik-Department, Fachgebiet Physik weicher Materie, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Wiebke Lohstroh
- Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Chia-Hsin Ko
- Physik-Department, Fachgebiet Physik weicher Materie, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Marie-Sousai Appavou
- Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Lichtenbergstr. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Alfons Schulte
- Department of Physics and College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, 4111 Libra Drive, Orlando, Florida 32816-2385, United States
| | - Christine M. Papadakis
- Physik-Department, Fachgebiet Physik weicher Materie, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
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