Internal Catalysis in Dynamic Hydrogels with Associative Thioester Cross-Links.

Thioesters are an essential functional group in biosynthetic pathways, which has motivated their development as reactive handles in probes and peptide assembly. Thioester exchange is typically accelerated by catalysts or elevated pH. Here, we report the use of bifunctional aromatic thioesters as dynamic covalent cross-links in hydrogels, demonstrating that at physiologic pH in aqueous conditions, transthioesterification facilitates stress relaxation on the time scale of hundreds of seconds.

2D Particles at Fluid-Fluid Interfaces: Assembly and Templating of Hybrid Structures for Advanced Applications.

Fluid-fluid interfaces have widespread applications in personal care products, the food industry, oil recovery, mineral processes, etc. and are also important and versatile platforms for generating advanced materials. In Pickering emulsions, particles stabilize the fluid-fluid interface, and their presence reduces the interfacial energy between the two fluids.

Distinct Chemical and Physical Properties of Janus Nanosheets.

Janus particles have recently garnered significant attention for their distinct properties compared to particles that are homogeneously functionalized. Moreover, high aspect ratio Janus particles that are rod-like or planar (i.e.