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Jiang Y, Seto R. Colloidal gelation with non-sticky particles. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2773. [PMID: 37188701 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38461-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Colloidal gels are widely applied in industry due to their rheological character-no flow takes place below the yield stress. Such property enables gels to maintain uniform distribution in practical formulations; otherwise, solid components may quickly sediment without the support of gel matrix. Compared with pure gels of sticky colloids, therefore, the composites of gel and non-sticky inclusions are more commonly encountered in reality. Through numerical simulations, we investigate the gelation process in such binary composites. We find that the non-sticky particles not only confine gelation in the form of an effective volume fraction, but also introduce another lengthscale that competes with the size of growing clusters in gel. The ratio of two key lengthscales in general controls the two effects. Using different gel models, we verify such a scenario within a wide range of parameter space, suggesting a potential universality in all classes of colloidal composites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Jiang
- Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Engineering, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 325000, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.
| | - Ryohei Seto
- Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Engineering, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 325000, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), 325000, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
- Graduate School of Information Science, University of Hyogo, 650-0047, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
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2
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Hansen J, Moll CJ, López Flores L, Castañeda-Priego R, Medina-Noyola M, Egelhaaf SU, Platten F. Phase separation and dynamical arrest of protein solutions dominated by short-range attractions. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:024904. [PMID: 36641409 DOI: 10.1063/5.0128643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The interplay of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and dynamical arrest can lead to the formation of gels and glasses, which is relevant for such diverse fields as condensed matter physics, materials science, food engineering, and the pharmaceutical industry. In this context, protein solutions exhibit remarkable equilibrium and non-equilibrium behaviors. In the regime where attractive and repulsive forces compete, it has been demonstrated, for example, that the location of the dynamical arrest line seems to be independent of ionic strength, so that the arrest lines at different ionic screening lengths overlap, in contrast to the LLPS coexistence curves, which strongly depend on the salt concentration. In this work, we show that the same phenomenology can also be observed when the electrostatic repulsions are largely screened, and the range and strength of the attractions are varied. In particular, using lysozyme in brine as a model system, the metastable gas-liquid binodal and the dynamical arrest line as well as the second virial coefficient have been determined for various solution conditions by cloud-point measurements, optical microscopy, centrifugation experiments, and light scattering. With the aim of understanding this new experimental phenomenology, we apply the non-equilibrium self-consistent generalized Langevin equation theory to a simple model system with only excluded volume plus short-range attractions, to study the dependence of the predicted arrest lines on the range of the attractive interaction. The theoretical predictions find a good qualitative agreement with experiments when the range of the attraction is not too small compared with the size of the protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Hansen
- Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Carolyn J Moll
- Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Leticia López Flores
- Instituto de Física "Manuel Sandoval Vallarta," Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Álvaro Obregón 64, 78000 San Luis Potosí, Mexico
| | | | - Magdaleno Medina-Noyola
- Instituto de Física "Manuel Sandoval Vallarta," Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Álvaro Obregón 64, 78000 San Luis Potosí, Mexico
| | - Stefan U Egelhaaf
- Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Florian Platten
- Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Xi Y, Murphy RP, Zhang Q, Zemborain A, Narayanan S, Chae J, Choi SQ, Fluerasu A, Wiegart L, Liu Y. Rheology and dynamics of a solvent segregation driven gel (SeedGel). SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:233-244. [PMID: 36511219 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01129h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Bicontinuous structures promise applications in a broad range of research fields, such as energy storage, membrane science, and biomaterials. Kinetically arrested spinodal decomposition is found responsible for stabilizing such structures in different types of materials. A recently developed solvent segregation driven gel (SeedGel) is demonstrated to realize bicontinuous channels thermoreversibly with tunable domain sizes by trapping nanoparticles in a particle domain. As the mechanical properties of SeedGel are very important for its future applications, a model system is characterized by temperature-dependent rheology. The storage modulus shows excellent thermo-reproducibility and interesting temperature dependence with the maximum storage modulus observed at an intermediate temperature range (around 28 °C). SANS measurements are conducted at different temperatures to identify the macroscopic solvent phase separation during the gelation transition, and solvent exchange between solvent and particle domains that is responsible for this behavior. The long-time dynamics of the gel is further studied by X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS). The results indicate that particles in the particle domain are in a glassy state and their long-time dynamics are strongly correlated with the temperature dependence of the storage modulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyin Xi
- Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA.
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Ryan P Murphy
- Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA.
| | - Qingteng Zhang
- X-Ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
| | - Aurora Zemborain
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Suresh Narayanan
- X-Ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
| | - Junsu Chae
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Siyoung Q Choi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Andrei Fluerasu
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA
| | - Lutz Wiegart
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA
| | - Yun Liu
- Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA.
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
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Roullet M, Clegg PS, Frith WJ. Rheology of protein-stabilised emulsion gels envisioned as composite networks. 2 - Framework for the study of emulsion gels. J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 594:92-100. [PMID: 33756372 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.02.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS The aggregation of protein-stabilised emulsions leads to the formation of emulsion gels. These soft solids may be envisioned as droplet-filled matrices. Here however, it is assumed that protein-coated sub-micron droplets contribute to the network formation in a similar way to proteins. Emulsion gels are thus envisioned as composite networks made of proteins and droplets. EXPERIMENTS Emulsion gels with a wide range of composition are prepared and their viscoelasticity and frequency dependence are measured. Their rheological behaviours are then analysed and compared with the properties of pure gels presented in the first part of this study. FINDINGS When the concentrations of droplets and protein are expressed as an effective volume fraction, the rheological behaviour of emulsion gels is shown to depend mostly on the total volume fraction, while the composition of the gel indicates its level of similarity with either pure droplet gels or pure protein gels. These results help to form an emerging picture of protein-stabilised emulsion gel as intermediate between droplet and protein gels. This justifies a posteriori the hypothesis of composite networks, and opens the road for the formulation of emulsion gels with fine-tuned rheology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Roullet
- Unilever R& D Colworth, Sharnbrook, Bedford MK44 1LQ, UK; School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK.
| | - Paul S Clegg
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK.
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From Femtoseconds to Hours—Measuring Dynamics over 18 Orders of Magnitude with Coherent X-rays. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/app11136179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) enables the study of sample dynamics between micrometer and atomic length scales. As a coherent scattering technique, it benefits from the increased brilliance of the next-generation synchrotron radiation and Free-Electron Laser (FEL) sources. In this article, we will introduce the XPCS concepts and review the latest developments of XPCS with special attention on the extension of accessible time scales to sub-μs and the application of XPCS at FELs. Furthermore, we will discuss future opportunities of XPCS and the related technique X-ray speckle visibility spectroscopy (XSVS) at new X-ray sources. Due to its particular signal-to-noise ratio, the time scales accessible by XPCS scale with the square of the coherent flux, allowing to dramatically extend its applications. This will soon enable studies over more than 18 orders of magnitude in time by XPCS and XSVS.
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Zepeda-López JB, Medina-Noyola M. Waiting-time dependent non-equilibrium phase diagram of simple glass- and gel-forming liquids. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:174901. [PMID: 34241066 DOI: 10.1063/5.0039524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Under numerous circumstances, many soft and hard materials are present in a puzzling wealth of non-equilibrium amorphous states, whose properties are not stationary and depend on preparation. They are often summarized in unconventional "phase diagrams" that exhibit new "phases" and/or "transitions" in which time, however, is an essential variable. This work proposes a solution to the problem of theoretically defining and predicting these non-equilibrium phases and their time-evolving phase diagrams, given the underlying molecular interactions. We demonstrate that these non-equilibrium phases and the corresponding non-stationary (i.e., aging) phase diagrams can indeed be defined and predicted using the kinetic perspective of a novel non-equilibrium statistical mechanical theory of irreversible processes. This is illustrated with the theoretical description of the transient process of dynamic arrest into non-equilibrium amorphous solid phases of an instantaneously quenched simple model fluid involving repulsive hard-sphere plus attractive square well pair interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Benigno Zepeda-López
- Instituto de Física "Manuel Sandoval Vallarta," Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Álvaro Obregón 64, 78000, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico
| | - Magdaleno Medina-Noyola
- Instituto de Física "Manuel Sandoval Vallarta," Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Álvaro Obregón 64, 78000, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico
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Liu J, Schotman MJG, Hendrix MMRM, Lou X, Marín San Román PP, Voets IK, Sijbesma RP. Effects of structural variation on the self‐assembly of bis‐urea based bolaamphiphiles. JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/pol.20200888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Maaike J. G. Schotman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Marco M. R. M. Hendrix
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Xianwen Lou
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Patricia P. Marín San Román
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Ilja K. Voets
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Rint P. Sijbesma
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
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Jain A, Schulz F, Lokteva I, Frenzel L, Grübel G, Lehmkühler F. Anisotropic and heterogeneous dynamics in an aging colloidal gel. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:2864-2872. [PMID: 32108204 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm02230a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of a colloidal gel obtained by quenching a suspension of soft polymer-coated gold nanoparticles close to and below its gelation point using X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS). A faster relaxation process emergent from the localized motions of the nanoparticles reveals a dynamically-arrested network at the nanoscale as a key signature of the gelation process. We find that the slower network dynamics is hyperdiffusive with a compressed exponential form, consistent with stress-driven relaxation processes. Specifically, we use direction-dependent correlation functions to characterize the anisotropy in dynamics. We show that the anisotropy is greater for the gel close to its gelation point than at lower temperatures, and the anisotropy decreases as the gel ages. We quantify the anisotropic dynamical heterogeneities emergent in such a stress-driven dynamical system using higher order intensity correlations, and demonstrate that the aging phenomenon contributes significantly to the properties evaluated by the fluctuations in the intensity correlations. Our results provide important insights into the structural origin of the emergent anisotropic and cooperative heterogeneous dynamics, and we discuss analogies with previous work on other soft disordered systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avni Jain
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
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Multi-Step Concanavalin A Phase Separation and Early-Stage Nucleation Monitored Via Dynamic and Depolarized Light Scattering. CRYSTALS 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst9120620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Protein phase separation and protein liquid cluster formation have been observed and analysed in protein crystallization experiments and, in recent years, have been reported more frequently, especially in studies related to membraneless organelles and protein cluster formation in cells. A detailed understanding about the phase separation process preceding liquid dense cluster formation will elucidate what has, so far, been poorly understood—despite intracellular crowding and phase separation being very common processes—and will also provide more insights into the early events of in vitro protein crystallization. In this context, the phase separation and crystallization kinetics of concanavalin A were analysed in detail, which applies simultaneous dynamic light scattering and depolarized dynamic light scattering to obtain insights into metastable intermediate states between the soluble phase and the crystalline form. A multi-step mechanism was identified for ConA phase separation, according to the resultant ACF decay, acquired after an increase in the concentration of the crowding agent until a metastable ConA gel intermediate between the soluble and final crystalline phases was observed. The obtained results also revealed that ConA is trapped in a macromolecular network due to short-range intermolecular protein interactions and is unable to transform back into a non-ergodic solution.
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