Soft Matter最新文献

{"title":"Self-diffusion in isotropic and liquid crystalline phases of fd virus colloidal rods: a combined single particle tracking and differential dynamic microscopy study.","authors":"Eric Grelet, Vincent A Martinez, Jochen Arlt","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01221f","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01221f","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this article, we investigate the dynamics of self-organised suspensions formed by rod-like fd virus colloids. Two methods have been employed for analysing fluorescence microscopy movies: single particle tracking (SPT) in direct space and differential dynamic microscopy (DDM) in reciprocal space. We perform a quantitative analysis on this anisotropic system with complex diffusion across different self-assembled states, ranging from dilute and semi-dilute liquids to nematic and smectic organisations. By leveraging the complementary strengths of SPT and DDM, we provide new insights in the dynamics of viral colloidal rods, such as long time diffusion coefficients in the smectic phase. We further discuss the advantages and limitations of both methods for studying the intricate dynamics of anisotropic colloidal systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142833178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Supramolecular adhesives inspired from adhesive proteins and nucleic acids: molecular design, properties, and applications.","authors":"Jiang Wu, Zan Hua, Guangming Liu","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01220h","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4sm01220h","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bioinspired supramolecular adhesives have been recently emerging as novel functional materials, which have shown a wide range of applications in wearable sensors and tissue engineering such as tissue adhesives and wound dressings. In this review, we summarize and discuss two main types of biologically inspired supramolecular adhesives from adhesive proteins and nucleic acids. The widely studied catechol-based adhesives, that originated from adhesive proteins of marine organisms such as mussels, and recently emerging nucleobase-containing supramolecular adhesives are both introduced and discussed. Both bioinspired adhesives from nucleic acids and adhesive proteins involve multiple supramolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, π-π stacking, and so on. Several major types of these bioinspired adhesives are summarized, respectively, including polymer-based, hydrogel-based, and other types of adhesives. The novel molecular design and adhesion properties are focused on and highlighted for each type of bioinspired adhesive. In addition, the potential applications of these bioinspired supramolecular adhesives in different realms including tissue engineering and biomedical devices are discussed. This review concludes with issues and challenges in the area of the bioinspired adhesives, hopefully promoting further developments and broader applications of novel supramolecular adhesives.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142833219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structural evolution and nanodomain formation in blend films of a block copolymer and homopolymer.","authors":"Ya-Sen Sun, Yi-Qing Jian, Shin-Tung Yang, Pei-Hsuan Chiang, Chun-Jen Su","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01029a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01029a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study explores the concurrent formation of surface perforations, parallel cylinders, and double gyroids in symmetric PS-<i>b</i>-PMMA/hPS blend films during isothermal annealing at 205 and 240 °C. By controlling the weight fraction ratio of PS-<i>b</i>-PMMA to hPS at 75/25, we systematically examined the impact of film thickness and annealing temperature on nanodomain development. Using <i>in situ</i> GISAXS and <i>ex situ</i> SEM, we observed that thin films rapidly formed surface perforations and underlying parallel cylinders at both annealing temperatures. For thicker films, annealing at 205 °C resulted in the coexistence of surface perforations and parallel cylinders, while annealing at 240 °C yielded the additional formation of double gyroids besides surface perforations and parallel cylinders. Furthermore, the double gyroids, which grew independently with {121}_DG planes parallel to the substrate, did not exhibit in-plane epitaxial relationships with the other structures. These findings highlight the critical role of annealing temperature and film thickness in directing nanodomain morphology, offering new insights for the design of nanostructured materials with tailored properties.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142826751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The structure-dynamics feedback mechanism governs the glassy dynamics in epithelial monolayers.","authors":"Satyam Pandey, Soumitra Kolya, Padmashree Devendran, Souvik Sadhukhan, Tamal Das, Saroj Kumar Nandi","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01059k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01059k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The glass-like slow dynamics in confluent epithelial monolayers is crucial for wound healing, embryogenesis, cancer progression, <i>etc.</i> Experiments have indicated several unusual properties in these systems. Unlike ordinary glasses, the glassiness in cellular systems strongly correlates with their static properties and is sub-Arrhenius. These results imply that the slow dynamics in epithelial monolayers is either not glassy or the underlying mechanism is different from ordinary glasses. Combining the analytical mode-coupling theory (MCT), vertex model simulations, and cellular experiments, we show that the slow dynamics is glassy, though the mechanism differs from ordinary glasses. The structure-dynamics feedback mechanism of MCT, and not the barrier-crossing mechanism, dominates the glassy dynamics, where the relaxation time diverges as a power law with a universal exponent 3/2 and naturally explains the sub-Arrhenius relaxation. Our results suggest the possibility of describing various complex biological processes like cell division and apoptosis <i>via</i> the static properties of the systems, such as average cell shape or shape variability.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142816657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adhesion of the mucilage envelope of <i>Ocimum basilicum</i> seeds probed by sum frequency generation spectroscopy.","authors":"Mette H Rasmussen, Mikkel Bregnhøj, Agnieszka Kreitschitz, Stanislav N Gorb, Tobias Weidner","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01057d","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01057d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The attachment of seeds to natural surfaces is important for the reproductive success of plants. This study investigates the adhesion mechanisms of <i>Ocimum basilicum</i> seed mucilage to CaF₂ and polystyrene surfaces, using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy and pull-off force measurements. The results show that the adhesion is driven by the formation of crystalline cellulose at the interface. Initially, cellulose within the mucilage envelope is disordered due to strong cellulose-water interactions. As water evaporates, cellulose interactions with the substrate increase, leading to a more ordered molecular structure, with the degree of order varying between substrates. The CaF₂ surface promotes a more crystalline cellulose assembly, whereas polystyrene results in a less ordered structure. Despite the reduced order, adhesion strength is higher on the polystyrene surface, suggesting that molecular disorder enhances the ability of the mucilage to absorb mechanical stress, thereby improving adhesion. These findings highlight the significant role of substrate chemistry in seed adhesion.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142811587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding how the structures of surfactants in hybrid nanoparticles affect the compaction of ct-DNA for cellular uptake: presenting a highly efficient surfactant.","authors":"Shalini Dyagala, Milan Paul, Vinod K Aswal, Swati Biswas, Subit Kumar Saha","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01345j","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01345j","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Compaction of calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) by two single-head-double-tailed surfactants with variable tail lengths <i>i.e.</i>, Dihexadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB16) and Dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB18), and one triple-head-double-tailed surfactant <i>N</i>¹-dodecyl-<i>N</i>²-(2-(dodecyldimethylammonio)ethyl)-<i>N</i>¹,<i>N</i>¹,<i>N</i>²,<i>N</i>²-tetramethylethane-1,2-diaminium (MQAS12) has been studied. DDAB18 is found to be the most efficient, while MQAS12 is the least efficient for cellular uptake. Hybrid materials of surfactants and silica nanoparticles have better compaction efficiency due to the cooperative binding. Silica nanoparticles (∼100 nm)-DDAB18 hybrid materials can compact ct-DNA at a much lower concentration than a conventional surfactant, addressing the cytotoxicity issues. Hybrid materials formed with smaller silica nanoparticles (∼40 nm) have also been studied. The results obtained have been used to understand whether Coulombic and/or hydrophobic interactions are responsible for DNA compaction. The hydrophobicity per unit surface area (<i>P</i>) of hybrid nanoparticles has a significant role in DNA compaction. The <i>P</i> largely depends on the surfactants' structures and nanoparticles' sizes. Single-head-double-tailed surfactants with a comparatively smaller headgroup exhibit a large amount of adsorption on the nanoparticles' surfaces, producing a large <i>P</i>. DDAB18 appears to be a DNA intercalative binder. Fluorescence anisotropy decay data of 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) reveal the dynamics of ct-DNA at different stages of compaction. Cell viability of mouse mammary gland adenocarcinoma cells (4T1) and human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cell lines and <i>in vitro</i> cellular uptake of the gene to 4T1 cells have been investigated. This study provides ideas for designing efficient non-viral vectors. Overall, DDAB18-coated silica nanoparticles appear to be safe and effective DNA compaction agents that can carry nucleic acids for biomedical applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142805654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dissipative particle dynamics simulations on the self-assembly of rod-coil asymmetric diblock molecular brushes bearing responsive side chains.","authors":"Hao Zhu, Weisheng Feng, Yueyao Wang, Zhengyi Li, Binbin Xu, Shaoliang Lin","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01232a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01232a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The self-assembly behaviors of rod-coil asymmetric diblock molecular brushes (ADMBs) bearing responsive side chains in a selective solvent are investigated <i>via</i> dissipative particle dynamics simulations. By systematically varying the polymerization degree, copolymer concentration, and side chain length, several morphological phase diagrams were constructed. ADMB assemblies exhibited a rich variety of morphologies, including cylindrical micelles, spherical micelles, nanowires, polyhedral micelles, ellipsoid micelles, and large compound micelles. The structures of the representative nanowires were analyzed in detail. A kinetics study revealed that the one-dimensional growth of nanowires follows the step-growth polymerization mechanism. Besides, by calculating the local order parameter of the rigid chains, we found that increasing the lengths of A and C side chains can promote the ordered arrangement of the rigid chains. Moreover, the rod-to-coil conformation transitions were simulated to explore the stimuli-responsive behaviors of ADMBs with responsive rigid side chains. The simulation results indicated that the volume of the assemblies expanded without the support of the rigid chains. The present work not only provides a comprehensive understanding of the self-assembly behaviors of ADMBs but also provides meaningful theoretical support for the development of novel molecular brush materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142805650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal evolution of heterogeneous structures in agarose gels revealed by particle tracking.","authors":"Naoya Yanagisawa, Takemi Hara, Miho Yanagisawa","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01122h","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01122h","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Upon decreasing the temperature, agarose solution exhibited gelation and phase separation, forming a cloudy gel consisting of agarose-rich and agarose-poor phases. Both phenomena contribute to the formation of a heterogeneous gel structure, but the primary influence of both processes on this heterogeneity remains unclear. In this study, we defined the specific gelation and phase separation temperatures of an agarose solution and examined the resulting gel structures with and without phase separation. Microscopic observation and colloid diffusion analysis revealed that phase separation leads to inhomogeneities several micrometers in size. Furthermore, we found that the distributions of colloidal diffusion coefficients and particle displacements strongly reflected the heterogeneity primarily induced by phase separation and gelation. Our findings contribute to the physicochemical understanding of the heterogeneous structures of various (bio) polymer gels associated with the phase separation of polymers.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142805651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular mobility of thin films of poly(bisphenol-A carbonate) capped and with one free surface: from bulk-like samples down to the adsorbed layer.","authors":"Hassan Omar, Shayan Ahmadi, Paulina Szymoniak, Andreas Schönhals","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01238k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01238k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The molecular mobility of thin films of poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (PBAC) was systematically investigated using broadband dielectric spectroscopy, employing two distinct electrode configurations. First, films were prepared in a capped geometry between aluminum electrodes employing a crossed electrode capacitor (CEC) configuration, down to film thicknesses of 40 nm. The Vogel temperature, derived from the temperature dependence of relaxation rates of the α-relaxation, increases with decreasing film thickness characterized by an onset thickness. The onset thickness depends on the annealing conditions, with less intense annealing yielding a lower onset thickness. Additionally, a broadening of the β-relaxation peak was observed with decreasing thickness, attributed to the interaction of phenyl groups with thermally evaporated aluminum, resulting in a shift of certain relaxation modes to higher temperatures relative to the bulk material. A novel phenomenon, termed the slow Arrhenius process (SAP), was also identified in proximity to the α-relaxation temperature. For films with thicknesses below 40 nm, nanostructured electrodes (NSE) were utilized, incorporating nanostructured silica spacers to establish a free surface with air. This free surface causes an enhancement in the molecular mobility for the 40 nm sample, preserving the β-relaxation as a distinct peak. The α-relaxation was detectable in the dielectric loss down to 18 nm, shifting to higher temperatures as film thickness is decreased. Notably, the onset thickness for the increase in Vogel temperature was lower in the NSE configuration compared to the CEC setup, attributed to the presence of the polymer-air interface.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142798803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A generalized model for predicting different morphologies of bacterial swarming on a porous solid surface.","authors":"Uttam Kumar, Subramaniam Pushpavanam","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01072h","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01072h","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, we develop a comprehensive two-phase model to analyze the dynamics of bacterial swarming on porous substrates. The two distinct phases under consideration are the cell and aqueous phases. We use the thin-film approximation, as the characteristic height of the swarm is significantly lower than its characteristic radius. Our model incorporates surfactant generation by microorganisms, drag forces between the cell and aqueous phases, osmotic influx, and Marangoni stresses. The disjoining pressure is included to account for substrate wettability, and a precursor film is used to address the contact line singularity. Several morphologies of bacterial swarms, such as arrested, circular, modulated, branching, droplet, fingering, and dendrite, have been observed experimentally. The model developed is capable of predicting all these shapes for realistic parameter values. An increase in the wettability of the substrate leads to faster expansion, while increased surface tension helps redistribute biomass radially. The role of biomass growth and surfactant production rate, surfactant diffusivity, and osmotic influx on the morphology of bacterial swarms are explained.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142798783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}