Complex-shape solid-state cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) droplets were prepared via solvent removal, phase separation, and photopolymerization of uniformly sized reactive CLC (rCLC)/fluorocarbon oil (FCO)/dichloromethane (solvent) droplets produced via a microfluidic method. The interfacial energies between rCLC and FCO, rCLC and water, and FCO and water of a rCLC/FCO droplet in an aqueous solution were precisely controlled through the specified surfactants. The shape of the rCLC/FCO droplet was strongly dependent on the balances among these interfacial energies, enabling the preparation of complex-shape droplets through the controlled concentration of the used surfactants. The complex-shape rCLC/FCO droplets showed photonic patterns consisting of a central reflection from a convex surface, cross-communication from a convex surface between adjacent particles, a photonic reflection band from the outer upward-facing concave surface, and total internal reflection from the inner upward-facing surface. Complex-shape CLC particles obtained after photopolymerization and extraction of a nonreactive chiral dopant and FCO showed photonic patterns similar to those before photopolymerization without much deterioration of the photonic structure. These complex patterns make CLC and rCLC/FCO droplets promising anticounterfeiting materials.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02975 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Complex-Shape Solid-State Photonic Droplets Prepared via Phase Separation and Microfluidics.
Langmuir
December 2023
School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Polymeric Nano Materials Laboratory, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
Complex-shape solid-state cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) droplets were prepared via solvent removal, phase separation, and photopolymerization of uniformly sized reactive CLC (rCLC)/fluorocarbon oil (FCO)/dichloromethane (solvent) droplets produced via a microfluidic method. The interfacial energies between rCLC and FCO, rCLC and water, and FCO and water of a rCLC/FCO droplet in an aqueous solution were precisely controlled through the specified surfactants. The shape of the rCLC/FCO droplet was strongly dependent on the balances among these interfacial energies, enabling the preparation of complex-shape droplets through the controlled concentration of the used surfactants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSilk-protein-based gradient hydrogels with multimode reprogrammable shape changes for biointegrated devices.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
August 2023
National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Biocompatible and morphable hydrogels capable of multimode reprogrammable, and adaptive shape changes are potentially useful for diverse biomedical applications. However, existing morphable systems often rely on complicated structural designs involving cumbersome and energy-intensive fabrication processes. Here, we report a simple electric-field-activated protein network migration strategy to reversibly program silk-protein hydrogels with controllable and reprogrammable complex shape transformations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOn stars and spikes: Resolving the skeletal morphology of planktonic Acantharia using synchrotron X-ray nanotomography and deep learning image segmentation.
Acta Biomater
March 2023
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States. Electronic address:
Acantharia (Acantharea) are wide-spread marine protozoa, presenting one of the rare examples of strontium sulfate mineralization in the biosphere. Their endoskeletons consist of 20 spicules arranged according to a unique geometric pattern named Müller's principle. Given the diverse mineral architecture of the Acantharia class, we set out to examine the complex three-dimensional skeletal morphology at the nanometer scale using synchrotron X-ray nanotomography, followed by image segmentation based on deep learning methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCharacterization, stability, and application of domain walls in flexible mechanical metamaterials.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
December 2020
J. A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138;
Domain walls, commonly occurring at the interface of different phases in solid-state materials, have recently been harnessed at the structural scale to enable additional modes of functionality. Here, we combine experimental, numerical, and theoretical tools to investigate the domain walls emerging upon uniaxial compression in a mechanical metamaterial based on the rotating-squares mechanism. We first show that these interfaces can be generated and controlled by carefully arranging a few phase-inducing defects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrofocusing sapphire capillary needle for laser surgery and therapy: Fabrication and characterization.
J Biophotonics
October 2020
Institute of Solid State Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Russia.
A sapphire shaped capillary needle designed for collimating and focusing of laser radiation was proposed and fabricated by the edge-defined film-fed growth technique. It features an as-grown surface quality, high transparency for visible and near-infrared radiation, high thermal and chemical resistance and the complex shape of the tip, which protects silica fibers. The needle's geometrical parameters can be adjusted for use in various situations, such as type of tissue, modality of therapy and treatment protocol.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!