Luo, Jiaqiu | Search NASA

DOE OSTI2024

Polymer Single‐Chain Nanoparticles: Shaping Solid Surfactants

Polymer single-chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) have found a wide range of applications spanning catalysts, sensors and nanomedicine. The generation of structured SCNPs from star-shaped polymers with diverse architectures and functionalities affords a new avenue to expand the emerging research area. The large-scale synthesis of structured SCNPs is described by the electrostatics-mediated intramolecular crosslinking of three types of 3-armed star-shaped polymers (T-P4VP, T-PS-b-P4VP, and T-P4VP-b-PS), whose configuration is tunable from spherical to cage-shaped to dumbbell-shaped and star-shaped. The structured SCNPs are amphiphilic and can be used as solid surfactants to stabilize different types of emulsions.

Li, Shuailong↗

DOE OSTI2024

Reconfigurable droplet networks

Droplet networks stabilized by lipid interfacial bilayers or colloidal particles have been extensively investigated in recent years and are of great interest for compartmentalized reactions and biological functions. However, current design strategies are disadvantaged by complex preparations and limited droplet size. Here, by using the assembly and jamming of cucurbit[8]uril surfactants at the oil-water interface, we show a novel means of preparing droplet networks that are multi-responsive, reconfigurable, and internally connected over macroscopic distances. Openings between the droplets enable the exchange of matter, affording a platform for chemical reactions and material synthesis. Our work requires only a manual compression to construct complex patterns of droplet networks, underscoring the simplicity of this strategy and the range of potential applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗