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Schelling MPM, Verouden TWJ, Stevens TCM, Meijer JM. 3D visualization reveals the cooling rate dependent crystallization near a wall in dense microgel systems. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:6343-6352. [PMID: 38963471 PMCID: PMC11323939 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00517a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Controlled crystallization, melting and vitrification are important fundamental processes in nature and technology. However, the microscopic details of these fundamental phenomena still lack understanding, in particular how the cooling rate and presence of a wall influence the crystal nucleation and glass formation. Thermoresponsive microgels provide the possibility to study phase transitions at the single-particle level, owing to the ability to tune the particle size with temperature. In this study, we employ composite microgels consisting of a hard core and a crosslinked poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) shell to study the crystallization of dense suspensions of soft colloids near a wall using confocal microscopy. We investigate the effect of the cooling rate on the fluid-to-solid transition close to the sample wall. The structures formed during cooling range from glassy in the case of a rapid temperature quench to crystalline when a slow cooling rate is used. Detailed analysis of the final structure reveals that the cooling rate also sets the degree of alignment of the crystal domains with the wall as a result of a balance between homogeneous and heterogeneous crystal nucleation. The results presented here yield valuable insight into the microscopic details of temperature-controlled crystallization near a wall. This understanding will help pave the way towards optimal crystallization conditions for microgel applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- M P M Schelling
- Department of Applied Physics and Science Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - T W J Verouden
- Department of Applied Physics and Science Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - T C M Stevens
- Department of Applied Physics and Science Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - J-M Meijer
- Department of Applied Physics and Science Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 19, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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Krins N, Wien F, Schmeltz M, Pérez J, Dems D, Debons N, Laberty-Robert C, Schanne-Klein MC, Aimé C. Angle-Resolved Linear Dichroism to Probe the Organization of Highly Ordered Collagen Biomaterials. Biomacromolecules 2024. [PMID: 39096318 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/05/2024]
Abstract
Controlling the assembly of high-order structures is central to soft-matter and biomaterial engineering. Angle-resolved linear dichroism can probe the ordering of chiral collagen molecules in the dense state. Collagen triple helices were aligned by solvent evaporation. Their ordering gives a strong linear dichroism (LD) that changes sign and intensity with varying sample orientations with respect to the beam linear polarization. Being complementary to circular dichroism, which probes the structure of chiral (bio)molecules, LD can shift from the molecular to the supramolecular scale and from the investigation of the conformation to interactions. Supported by multiphoton microscopy and X-ray scattering, we show that LD provides a straightforward route to probe collagen alignment, determine the packing density, and monitor denaturation. This approach could be adapted to any assembly of chiral (bio)macromolecules, with key advantages in detecting large-scale assemblies with high specificity to aligned and chiral molecules and improved sensitivity compared to conventional techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natacha Krins
- Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (LCMCP), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris F-75005, France
| | - Frank Wien
- SOLEIL Synchrotron, Saint Aubin 91190, France
| | - Margaux Schmeltz
- Laboratoire d'Optique et Biosciences, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, Inserm, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau F-91128, France
| | | | - Dounia Dems
- Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (LCMCP), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris F-75005, France
| | - Nicolas Debons
- Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (LCMCP), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris F-75005, France
| | - Christel Laberty-Robert
- Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (LCMCP), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris F-75005, France
| | - Marie-Claire Schanne-Klein
- Laboratoire d'Optique et Biosciences, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, Inserm, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau F-91128, France
| | - Carole Aimé
- Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (LCMCP), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris F-75005, France
- PASTEUR, Département de chimie, École normale supérieure, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris 75005, France
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Hildebrandt M, Pham Thuy D, Kippenberger J, Wigger TL, Houston JE, Scotti A, Karg M. Fluid-solid transitions in photonic crystals of soft, thermoresponsive microgels. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:7122-7135. [PMID: 37695048 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01062g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Microgels are often discussed as well-suited model system for soft colloids. In contrast to rigid spheres, the microgel volume and, coupled to this, the volume fraction in dispersion can be manipulated by external stimuli. This behavior is particularly interesting at high packings where phase transitions can be induced by external triggers such as temperature in the case of thermoresponsive microgels. A challenge, however, is the determination of the real volume occupied by these deformable, soft objects and consequently, to determine the boundaries of the phase transitions. Here we propose core-shell microgels with a rigid silica core and a crosslinked, thermoresponsive poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) shell with a carefully chosen shell-to-core size ratio as ideal model colloids to study fluid-solid transitions that are inducible by millikelvin changes in temperature. Specifically, we identify the temperature ranges where crystallization and melting occur using absorbance spectroscopy in a range of concentrations. Slow annealing from the fluid to the crystalline state leads to photonic crystals with Bragg peaks in the visible wavelength range and very narrow linewidths. Small-angle X-ray scattering is then used to confirm the structure of the fluid phase as well as the long-range order, crystal structure and microgel volume fraction in the solid phase. Thanks to the scattering contrasts and volume ratio of the cores with respect to the shells, the scattering data do allow for form factor analysis revealing osmotic deswelling at volume fractions approaching and also exceeding the hard sphere packing limit.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Hildebrandt
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - D Pham Thuy
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - J Kippenberger
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - T L Wigger
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - J E Houston
- European Spallation Source ERIC, Box 176, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - A Scotti
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - M Karg
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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Feller D, Karg M. Fluid interface-assisted assembly of soft microgels: recent developments for structures beyond hexagonal packing. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:6301-6312. [PMID: 35993260 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00872f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microgels adsorb to air/water and oil/water interfaces - a process driven by a significant reduction in interfacial tension. Depending on the available interface area per microgel, strong lateral deformation can be observed. Typically, hexagonally ordered structures appear spontaneously upon contact of the microgel shells. Transfer from the interface to solid substrates gives access to macroscopically sized microgel monolayers that are interesting for photonic and plasmonic studies as well as colloid-based lithography, for example. Significant efforts have been made to understand the phase behavior of microgels at different interfaces and to explore the available parameter space for achieving complex tessellations. In this review, we will discuss the most recent developments in the realization of microgel monolayers with structures beyond hexagonal packing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Déborah Feller
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Matthias Karg
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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Hildebrandt M, Lazarev S, Pérez J, Vartanyants IA, Meijer JM, Karg M. SAXS Investigation of Core–Shell Microgels with High Scattering Contrast Cores: Access to Structure Factor and Volume Fraction. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Hildebrandt
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sergey Lazarev
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Javier Pérez
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L’Orme des Merisiers, Saint-Aubin, BP 48, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Ivan A. Vartanyants
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Janne-Mieke Meijer
- Department of Applied Physics and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Matthias Karg
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie I: Kolloide und Nanooptik, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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