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Liu H, Wang Z, Xin H, Liu J, Wang Q, Pang B, Zhang K. Polysaccharide Nanocrystals-Based Chiral Nematic Structures: From Self-Assembly Mechanisms, Regulation, to Applications. ACS NANO 2024; 18:22675-22708. [PMID: 39137301 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c03130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Chiral architectures, one of the key structural features of natural systems ranging from the nanoscale to macroscale, are an infinite source of inspiration for functional materials. Researchers have been, and still are, strongly pursuing the goal of constructing such structures with renewable and sustainable building blocks via simple and efficient strategies. With the merits of high sustainability, renewability, and the ability to self-assemble into chiral nematic structures in aqueous suspensions that can be preserved in the solid state, polysaccharide nanocrystals (PNs) including cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) offer opportunities to reach the target. We herein provide a comprehensive review that focuses on the development of CNCs and ChNCs for the use in advanced functional materials. First, the introduction of CNCs and ChNCs, and cellulose- and chitin-formed chiral nematic organizations in the natural world, are given. Then, the self-assembly process of such PNs and the factors influencing this process are comprehensively discussed. After that, we showcased the emerging applications of the self-assembled chiral nematic structures of CNCs and ChNCs. Finally, this review concludes with perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Liu
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Zhihao Wang
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Haowei Xin
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Qianqian Wang
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Bo Pang
- Department of Food Science and Technology, National University of Singapore, 2 Science Drive 2, Singapore, 117542, Singapore
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
| | - Kai Zhang
- Sustainable Materials and Chemistry, Department of Wood Technology and Wood-Based Composites, University of Göttingen, Göttingen 37077, Germany
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2
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Wiwatsamphan P, Tashiro K, Masunaga H, Sasaki S, Chirachanchai S. From Chitin Nanowhisker Colloidal Dispersions to Anisotropic Microfibers: Structural Evolution in Its Transformation Process as Revealed by Synchrotron Wide-Angle X-ray Diffraction Measurements. ACS Macro Lett 2024:1179-1184. [PMID: 39171924 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Nanowhiskers in a colloidal dispersion are known to form chiral nematic liquid crystals (CNLC), as seen in a cellulose nanowhisker or so-called cellulose nanocrystal and chitin nanowhisker. In our related work, we clarified that once the thus-created chitin nanowhiskers with surface modified by chitosan (CTWK-CS) in CNLC phase were wet-spun, we could directly obtain anisotropic microfibers containing the highly ordered CTWK-CS. This drastic structural transformation from CNLC to anisotropic microfibers might relate to several important stages, i.e., stage (i) is the alignment of CTWK-CS initiated by a specific concentration and flow to create aggregation in the CNLC state, stage (ii) is the coagulation of CTWK-CS in CNLC to transform to microfibers, and stage (iii) is the drying of the thus-extruded microfibers to allow CTWK-CS alignment. The present work sets up the experimental systems simulating stages (i) and (iii) to reveal the orientational behavior of CTWK-CS and the structural evolution, respectively, by synchrotron 2D WAXD measurement. In stage (i), the high degree of the parallel alignments of CTWK-CS with the chain axis oriented along the flow direction of the colloidal dispersions confirms that the flow and concentration synergistically controlled CTWK-CS alignment. In contrast, for stage (iii), the poor c-axial orientation of CTWK-CS in as-spun wet microfibers gradually changed to the high degree of c-axial orientation along the fiber direction during drying process, indicating a reorientation of CTWK-CS along with dehydration. The present study declares an in situ observation of the direct wet spinning of nanowhiskers about their remarkable alignments in the sheared colloidal dispersions (stage (i)) and their random-to-high reorientation during the drying process of the as-spun wet microfiber (stage (iii)).
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Affiliation(s)
- Phanicha Wiwatsamphan
- Center of Excellence in Bioresources to Advanced Materials (B2A-CE), The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Kohji Tashiro
- Knowledge Hub Aichi, Aichi Synchrotron Radiation Center, Minami-Yamaguchi, Seto 489-0965, Japan
| | - Hiroyasu Masunaga
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Sono Sasaki
- Faculty of Fiber Science and Engineering, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Suwabun Chirachanchai
- Center of Excellence in Bioresources to Advanced Materials (B2A-CE), The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
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3
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Frka-Petesic B, Parton TG, Honorato-Rios C, Narkevicius A, Ballu K, Shen Q, Lu Z, Ogawa Y, Haataja JS, Droguet BE, Parker RM, Vignolini S. Structural Color from Cellulose Nanocrystals or Chitin Nanocrystals: Self-Assembly, Optics, and Applications. Chem Rev 2023; 123:12595-12756. [PMID: 38011110 PMCID: PMC10729353 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Widespread concerns over the impact of human activity on the environment have resulted in a desire to replace artificial functional materials with naturally derived alternatives. As such, polysaccharides are drawing increasing attention due to offering a renewable, biodegradable, and biocompatible feedstock for functional nanomaterials. In particular, nanocrystals of cellulose and chitin have emerged as versatile and sustainable building blocks for diverse applications, ranging from mechanical reinforcement to structural coloration. Much of this interest arises from the tendency of these colloidally stable nanoparticles to self-organize in water into a lyotropic cholesteric liquid crystal, which can be readily manipulated in terms of its periodicity, structure, and geometry. Importantly, this helicoidal ordering can be retained into the solid-state, offering an accessible route to complex nanostructured films, coatings, and particles. In this review, the process of forming iridescent, structurally colored films from suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) is summarized and the mechanisms underlying the chemical and physical phenomena at each stage in the process explored. Analogy is then drawn with chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs), allowing for key differences to be critically assessed and strategies toward structural coloration to be presented. Importantly, the progress toward translating this technology from academia to industry is summarized, with unresolved scientific and technical questions put forward as challenges to the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Frka-Petesic
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
- International
Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM), Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Thomas G. Parton
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Camila Honorato-Rios
- Department
of Sustainable and Bio-inspired Materials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Aurimas Narkevicius
- B
CUBE − Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Kevin Ballu
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Qingchen Shen
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Zihao Lu
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Yu Ogawa
- CERMAV-CNRS,
CS40700, 38041 Grenoble cedex 9, France
| | - Johannes S. Haataja
- Department
of Applied Physics, Aalto University School
of Science, P.O. Box
15100, Aalto, Espoo FI-00076, Finland
| | - Benjamin E. Droguet
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Richard M. Parker
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia Vignolini
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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Ackroyd AJ, De Paolis A, Xu YT, Momeni A, Hamad WY, MacLachlan MJ. Self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals confined to square capillaries. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:14388-14398. [PMID: 37609826 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr02650g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Biological systems exploit restricted degrees of freedom to drive self-assembly of nano- and microarchitectures. Simplified systems, such as colloidal nanoparticles that behave as lyotropic liquid crystalline mesophases in confined geometric spaces, may be used to mimic biological structures. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are colloidally stable nanoparticles that self-assemble into chiral nematic (ChN) liquid crystalline mesophases. To date, the self-assembly of ChN mesophases of CNCs has been studied under confinement conditions within curved surfaces or under drying conditions that impose curvatures that can be exploited to control ChN ordering; however, their self-assembly has not been investigated in geometries with square cross-sections under static conditions. Here, we show that because of surface anchoring on perpendicular surfaces, the ChN CNC phase is unable to bend with the 90° angle of the square capillary under increasing confinement. Instead, the ChN phase forms radial layers in the shape of concentric squircle shells. With increasing layer distance from the capillary wall, the squircles transition into concentric cylinder shells. In larger capillaries, the radial shell layers appear as a continuous spiral pattern that engulfs fragmented ChN pseudolayers, a defect to accommodate the cylindrical confinement of the mesophase. These results are useful for understanding the fundamentals of self-assembling systems and development of new technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J Ackroyd
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada.
| | - Adam De Paolis
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada.
| | - Yi-Tao Xu
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada.
| | - Arash Momeni
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada.
| | - Wadood Y Hamad
- Transformation and Interfaces Group, Bioproducts Innovation Centre of Excellence, FPInnovations, 2665 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Mark J MacLachlan
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada.
- Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, 2355 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
- WPI Nano Life Science Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan
- UBC BioProducts Institute, 2385 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
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5
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Wang Q, Niu W, Feng S, Liu J, Liu H, Zhu Q. Accelerating Cellulose Nanocrystal Assembly into Chiral Nanostructures. ACS NANO 2023. [PMID: 37464327 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c03797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) suspensions self-assembled into chiral nematic liquid crystals. This property has enabled the development of versatile optical materials with fascinating properties. Nevertheless, the scale-up production and commercial success of chiral nematic CNC superstructures face significant challenges. Fabrication of chiral nematic CNC nanostructures suffers from a ubiquitous pernicious trade-off between uniform chiral nematic structure and rapid self-assembly. Specifically, the chiral nematic assembly of CNCs is a time-consuming, spontaneous process that involves the organization of particles into ordered nanostructures as the solvent evaporates. This review is driven by the interest in accelerating chiral nematic CNC assembly and promoting a long-range oriented chiral nematic CNC superstructure. To start this review, the chirality origins of CNC and CNC aggregates are analyzed. This is followed by a summary of the recent advances in stimuli-accelerated chiral nematic CNC self-assembly procedures, including evaporation-induced self-assembly, continuous coating, vacuum-assisted self-assembly, and shear-induced CNC assembly under confinement. In particular, stimuli-induced unwinding, alignment, and relaxation of chiral nematic structures were highlighted, offering a significant link between the accelerated assembly approaches and uniform chiral nematic nanostructures. Ultimately, future opportunities and challenges for rapid chiral nematic CNC assembly are discussed for more innovative and exciting applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Wang
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Wen Niu
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Shixuan Feng
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Huan Liu
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Qianqian Zhu
- Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
- Institute of Quantum and Sustainable Technology (IQST), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
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Esmaeili M, Norouzi S, George K, Rezvan G, Taheri-Qazvini N, Sadati M. 3D Printing-Assisted Self-Assembly to Bio-Inspired Bouligand Nanostructures. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2206847. [PMID: 36732856 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202206847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Architected materials with nano/microscale orders can provide superior mechanical properties; however, reproducing such levels of ordering in complex structures has remained challenging. Inspired by Bouligand structures in nature, here, 3D printing of complex geometries with guided long-order radially twisted chiral hierarchy, using cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)-based inks is presented. Detailed rheological measurements, in situ flow analysis, polarized optical microscopy (POM), and director field analysis are employed to evaluate the chiral assembly over the printing process. It is demonstrated that shear flow forces inside the 3D printer's nozzle orient individual CNC particles forming a pseudo-nematic phase that relaxes to uniformly aligned concentric chiral nematic structures after the flow cessation. Acrylamide, a photo-curable monomer, is incorporated to arrest the concentric chiral arrangements within the printed filaments. The time series POM snapshots show that adding the photo-curable monomer at the optimized concentrations does not interfere with chiral self-assemblies and instead increases the chiral relaxation rate. Due to the liquid-like nature of the as-printed inks, optimized Carbopol microgels are used to support printed filaments before photo-polymerization. By paving the path towards developing bio-inspired materials with nanoscale hierarchies in larger-scale printed constructs, this biomimetic approach expands 3D printing materials beyond what has been realized so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Esmaeili
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Sepideh Norouzi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Kyle George
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Gelareh Rezvan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Nader Taheri-Qazvini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Monirosadat Sadati
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
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Momeni A, Hamad WY, MacLachlan MJ. Using rotation to organize cellulose nanocrystals inside a fiber. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:7613-7620. [PMID: 35545099 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr01159j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate for the first time that continuous rotation of a mixture of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and monomer in a capillary tube results in well-organized structures. In the experiments, a capillary tube charged with an aqueous suspension of CNCs and hydroxyethyl acrylate was continuously rotated, then the structure was fixed in place by UV-initiated polymerization. The organization of the liquid crystalline structure that forms inside the tube depends on the rotation conditions and is captured in the polymer resin. The effects of rotation speed, rotation angle and CNC concentration were evaluated and are discussed based on fluid dynamic models. We demonstrate that it is possible to develop a core-shell fiber through this technique based on secondary Dean flow. The outer shell of the fiber shows well-ordered concentric rings with chiral nematic structure, while the inner core remains isotropic. Such fibers have potential applications in the field of optics. Overall, we demonstrate that rotation could be applied as a novel method to organize liquid crystals in a confined environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Momeni
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada.
| | - Wadood Y Hamad
- Transformation and Interfaces Group, Bioproducts Innovation Centre of Excellence, FPInnovations, 2665 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Mark J MacLachlan
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada.
- Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, 2355 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- WPI Nano Life Science Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan
- UBC BioProducts Institute, 2385 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Wang Y, Zheng X, Zhong W, Ye Z, Wang X, Dong Z, Zhang Z. Multicomponent chiral hydrogel fibers with block configurations based on the chiral liquid crystals of cellulose nanocrystals and M13 bacteriophages. Polym Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2py00965j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Integrating the advantages unique to CNCs and the M13 virus into blockwise chiral hydrogel fibers, which have block dependent chiral fingerprints, birefringence, (de)swelling behaviors, mechanical strength and stretchability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaonan Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
| | - Weiting Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
| | - Zihan Ye
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
| | - Xinzhi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
| | - Ziyue Dong
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
| | - Zhenkun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China
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