The Effects of Morphology and Hydration on Anion Transport in Self-Assembled Nanoporous Membranes.

Ordered nanoporous polymer membranes offer opportunities for systematically probing the mechanisms of ion transport under confinement and for realizing useful materials for electrochemical devices. Here, we examine the impact of morphology and ion hydration on the transport of hydroxide and bromide anions in nanostructured polymer membranes with 1 nm scale pores. We use aqueous lyotropic self-assembly of an amphiphilic monomer, with a polymerizable surfactant to create direct hexagonal (H) and gyroid mesophases.

Persistent Photoinduced Antibacterial Activity of MoS Nanosheets Immobilized in Porous Polymer Beads.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) photogenerated by two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials provide a means of delivering persistent antibacterial activity in fluid media. Semiconducting molybdenum disulfide (MoS) nanosheets are an attractive option for exploiting such activity by using visible light. However, the tendency of MoS nanosheets in suspension to restack or otherwise aggregate remains a critical obstacle, as it results in the loss of the desired photoactivity.

Exfoliated MoS nanosheets immobilized in porous microbeads as recoverable photocatalysts.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS) is a highly effective visible light photocatalyst when used as well-exfoliated 2D nanosheets. The ability to make effective use of these properties is significantly compromised by the challenge of preventing nanosheet aggregation or restacking in fluid suspensions. We report a strategy for immobilizing chemically exfoliated MoS as single- and few-layer nanosheets in porous crosslinked polymers prepared as microbeads.

Society's Attitude Toward Spousal Physical Abuse: Findings from the Philippines National Demographic and Health Survey, 2022.

Background: Societal attitude toward spousal physical abuse plays a crucial role in preventing violence against women. Yet, this public health issue has been insufficiently addressed. This study examines the relationship between the societal attitude toward spousal physical abuse and various social determinants.

Self-assembled nanostructured membranes with tunable pore size and shape from plant-derived materials.

Nanostructured materials derived from sustainable sources are of interest as viable alternatives to traditional petroleum-derived sources in membrane applications due to environmental concerns. Here, we present the development of pore size-tunable nanostructured polymer membranes based on a plant-derived material. The membranes were fabricated using a tri-functional amine as the templating core species and a cross-linkable ligand synthesized from rose oil-derived citronellol.

Spontaneous assembly of condensate networks during the demixing of structured fluids.

Liquid-liquid phase separation, whereby two liquids spontaneously demix, is ubiquitous in industrial, environmental, and biological processes. While isotropic fluids are known to condense into spherical droplets in the binodal region, these dynamics are poorly understood for structured fluids. Here, we report the unique observation of condensate networks, which spontaneously assemble during the demixing of a mesogen from a solvent.

Correction: Cross-linkable, phosphobetaine-based, zwitterionic amphiphiles that form lyotropic bicontinuous cubic phases.

Correction for 'Cross-linkable, phosphobetaine-based, zwitterionic amphiphiles that form lyotropic bicontinuous cubic phases' by Lauren N. Bodkin , , 2023, , 3768-3772, https://doi.org/10.

Cross-linkable, phosphobetaine-based, zwitterionic amphiphiles that form lyotropic bicontinuous cubic phases.

The design, synthesis, and lyotropic liquid crystal phase behaviour of six cross-linkable, phosphobetaine-based, zwitterionic amphiphiles are described. Two form a Q phase with aq. NHCl solution, giving 3D-nanoporous membrane materials that can be used for water desalination and are not susceptible to ion exchange like traditional ionic analogues.

Multi-Compartmentalized Cellulose Macrobead Catalysts for In Situ Organic Reaction in Aqueous Media.

This study reports a promising approach to fabricate bacterial cellulose (BC)-based macrobead catalysts with improved catalytic activities and recyclability for organic reactions in aqueous media. To this end, the consecutive extrusion and gelation of BC precursor fluids is conducted using a combined micronozzle device to compartmentalize the resulting BC macrobeads in a programmed manner. The use of BCs laden with Au and Pd nanoparticles (NPs), and Fe O NPs led to the production of catalytically and magnetically compartmentalized BC macrobeads, respectively.

Hierarchically engineered nanostructures from compositionally anisotropic molecular building blocks.

The inability to synthesize hierarchical structures with independently tailored nanoscale and mesoscale features limits the discovery of next-generation multifunctional materials. Here we present a predictable molecular self-assembly strategy to craft nanostructured materials with a variety of phase-in-phase hierarchical morphologies. The compositionally anisotropic building blocks employed in the assembly process are formed by multicomponent graft block copolymers containing sequence-defined side chains.

Magnetic Field Alignment and Optical Anisotropy of MoS Nanosheets Dispersed in a Liquid Crystal Polymer.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS) nanosheets exhibit anisotropic optical and electronic properties, stemming from their shape and electronic structure. Unveiling this anisotropy for study and usage in materials and devices requires the ability to control the orientation of dispersed nanosheets, but to date this has proved a challenging proposition. Here, we demonstrate magnetic field driven alignment of MoS nanosheets in a liquid crystal (LC) polymer and unveil the optical properties of the resulting anisotropic assembly.

Two-Photon Laser Microprinting of Highly Ordered Nanoporous Materials Based on Hexagonal Columnar Liquid Crystals.

Nanoporous materials relying on supramolecular liquid crystals (LCs) are excellent candidates for size- and charge-selective membranes. However, whether they can be manufactured using printing technologies remained unexplored so far. In this work, we develop a new approach for the fabrication of ordered nanoporous microstructures based on supramolecular LCs using two-photon laser printing.

100th Anniversary of Macromolecular Science Viewpoint: Opportunities for Liquid Crystal Polymers in Nanopatterning and Beyond.

Liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs) integrate at a molecular level the characteristics of two important material classes, i.e., liquid crystals (LCs) and polymers.

Dynamic magnetic field alignment and polarized emission of semiconductor nanoplatelets in a liquid crystal polymer.

Reconfigurable arrays of 2D nanomaterials are essential for the realization of switchable and intelligent material systems. Using liquid crystals (LCs) as a medium represents a promising approach, in principle, to enable such control. In practice, however, this approach is hampered by the difficulty of achieving stable dispersions of nanomaterials.

Tunable organic solvent nanofiltration in self-assembled membranes at the sub-1 nm scale.

Organic solvent-stable membranes exhibiting strong selectivity and high permeance have the potential to transform energy utilization in chemical separation processes. A key goal is developing materials with uniform, well-defined pores at the 1-nm scale, with sizes that can be tuned in small increments with high fidelity. Here, we demonstrate a class of organic solvent-stable nanoporous membranes derived from self-assembled liquid crystal mesophases that display such characteristics and elucidate their transport properties.

Fast Photoswitchable Order-Disorder Transitions in Liquid-Crystalline Block Co-oligomers.

Optically driven ordering transitions are rarely observed in macromolecular systems, often because of kinetic limitations. Here, we report a series of block co-oligomers (BCOs) that rapidly order and disorder at room temperature in response to optical illumination, and the absence thereof. The system is a triblock where rigid azobenzene (Azo) mesogens are attached to each end of a flexible siloxane chain.

Stable cross-linked lyotropic gyroid mesophases from single-head/single-tail cross-linkable monomers.

A single-head/single-tail surfactant with a polymerizable group at each end is presented as a new simplified motif for intrinsically cross-linkable, gyroid-phase lyotropic mesogens. The resulting nanoporous polymer networks exhibit excellent structural stability in various solvents and are capable of molecular size discrimination.

Soft robotic constrictor for in vitro modeling of dynamic tissue compression.

Here we present a microengineered soft-robotic in vitro platform developed by integrating a pneumatically regulated novel elastomeric actuator with primary culture of human cells. This system is capable of generating dynamic bending motion akin to the constriction of tubular organs that can exert controlled compressive forces on cultured living cells. Using this platform, we demonstrate cyclic compression of primary human endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells to show physiological changes in their morphology due to applied forces.

Hydrogen Peroxide Effects on Natural-Sourced Polysacchrides: Free Radical Formation/Production, Degradation Process, and Reaction Mechanism-A Critical Synopsis.

Numerous reactive oxygen species (ROS) entities exist, and hydrogen peroxide (HO) is very key among them as it is well known to possess a stable but poor reactivity capable of generating free radicals. Considered among reactive atoms, molecules, and compounds with electron-rich sites, free radicals emerging from metabolic reactions during cellular respirations can induce oxidative stress and cause cellular structure damage, resulting in diverse life-threatening diseases when produced in excess. Therefore, an antioxidant is needed to curb the overproduction of free radicals especially in biological systems (in vivo and in vitro).

Rapid Fabrication by Lyotropic Self-Assembly of Thin Nanofiltration Membranes with Uniform 1 Nanometer Pores.

Nanostructured materials with precisely defined and water-bicontinuous 1-nm-scale pores are highly sought after as advanced materials for next-generation nanofiltration membranes. While several self-assembled systems appear to satisfy this need, straightforward fabrication of such materials as submicron films with high-fidelity retention of their ordered nanostructure represents a nontrivial challenge. We report the development of a lyotropic liquid crystal mesophase that addresses the aforementioned issue.

Simple production of cellulose nanofibril microcapsules and the rheology of their suspensions.

Microcapsules are commonly used in applications ranging from therapeutics to personal care products due to their ability to deliver encapsulated species through their porous shells. Here, we demonstrate a simple and scalable approach to fabricate microcapsules with porous shells by interfacial complexation of cellulose nanofibrils and oleylamine, and investigate the rheological properties of suspensions of the resulting microcapsules. The suspensions of neat capsules are viscous liquids whose viscosity increases with volume fraction according to a modified Kreiger-Dougherty relation with a maximum packing fraction of 0.

High-throughput morphology mapping of self-assembling ternary polymer blends.

Multicomponent blending is a convenient yet powerful approach to rationally control the material structure, morphology, and functional properties in solution-deposited films of block copolymers and other self-assembling nanomaterials. However, progress in understanding the structural and morphological dependencies on blend composition is hampered by the time and labor required to synthesize and characterize a large number of discrete samples. Here, we report a new method to systematically explore a wide composition space in ternary blends.