Soft Matter最新文献

{"title":"Cluster-directed ionic framework supramolecular hydrogel with high-temperature tolerability and enhanced water evaporation.","authors":"Jiaxu Wang, Liang Yue, Mingfeng Wei, Bao Li, Lixin Wu","doi":"10.1039/d5sm00004a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sm00004a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Supramolecular hydrogels have been constructed with flexible 2D ionic framework assemblies comprised of a stick-shaped di-cationic pseudo-rotaxane and polyanionic nanoclusters through electrostatic interactions. This type of small-molecule hydrogel exhibits excellent thermal stability at high temperature and shows an efficient reduction of water evaporation enthalpy.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143770704","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":"Mechanical properties of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> dual-species biofilms grown in chronic wound-based models.","authors":"Bikash Bhattarai, Gordon F Christopher","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01441c","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01441c","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Wound infections become chronic due to biofilm formation by pathogenic bacteria; two such pathogens are <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>. These bacteria are known to form polymicrobial biofilms in wounds, which exhibit increased colonization rates, enhanced chronicity, and greater resistance to treatment. Previously, the impacts of a wound bed environment on the mechanical properties of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> biofilms have been explored, and in this work the role of a wound bed environment in the viscoelasticity and microstructure of polymicrobial biofilms is characterized. We hypothesize that common wound bed proteins mediate interactions between <i>S. aureus</i> and <i>P. aeruginosa</i> to enable the formation of more elastic and stiff biofilms. Growth media with varying protein content as well as additional collagen, a protein associated with a wound extracellular matrix, were utilized to test our hypothesis. Microrheology indicates that both <i>P. aeruginosa</i> and <i>S. aureus</i> form relatively stiffer single-species biofilms in a wound environment with collagen. <i>S. aureus</i> produced stiffer biofilms in the presence of collagen, regardless of other wound proteins, likely due to its interactions with collagen. When both species were grown together in wound-like media, synergistic effects led to stiffer dual-species biofilms compared to their single-species forms. Under all growth conditions, collagen significantly contributed to stiffening <i>P. aeruginosa</i>/<i>S. aureus</i> dual-species biofilms, suggesting that it mediates complex interspecies interactions. High-resolution imaging and analysis revealed that collagen also influenced the microstructures of <i>P. aeruginosa</i>/<i>S. aureus</i> dual-species biofilms. In media containing wound proteins and collagen, <i>S. aureus</i> clusters were larger and exhibited more complex shapes. These results indicate that the wound bed environment not only provides improved antibacterial resistance due to cooperative interactions, but also improved mechanical protection, which impact common treatment methods like debridement.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143770706","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":"Polyvinyl alcohol-based polarizers for new displays: molecules, processing and properties.","authors":"Yao Li, Jiayu Xie, Hong Cheng, Xiaoying Wei, Jie Chen, Liangpeng You, Wei Chen","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01530d","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01530d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Polarizers are a key component of new display panels (<i>i.e.</i> liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)), consisting of a polarizing film, support film, compensation film, and optical clear adhesives between the layers. The key functional layer is the iodine-doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film. The processing of polarizers involves the synthesis of an optical-grade PVA resin, followed by the preparation of highly oriented iodine-doped PVA films, which includes the film casting, iodine doping, boric acid crosslinking, and post-stretching steps. Revealing the multi-scale structure and changes in chain dynamics during processing is crucial for establishing the structure-process-property relationship of PVA-based polarizers. The current work reviews the recent research progress in this direction, primarily including the following: (1) primary chemical structure of PVA, (2) solution casting of PVA films, (3) hierarchical structure and dynamics heterogeneity of plasticized PVA films, (4) formation mechanism of PVA-iodine complexes, and (5) crosslinking mechanism of boric acid in PVA.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143770709","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":"Rigidity transitions in anisotropic networks: a crossover scaling analysis.","authors":"William Y Wang, Stephen J Thornton, Bulbul Chakraborty, Anna R Barth, Navneet Singh, Japheth Omonira, Jonathan A Michel, Moumita Das, James P Sethna, Itai Cohen","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01191k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01191k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We study how the rigidity transition in a triangular lattice changes as a function of anisotropy by preferentially filling bonds on the lattice in one direction. We discover that the onset of rigidity in anisotropic spring networks on a regular triangular lattice arises in at least two steps, reminiscent of the two-step melting transition in two dimensional crystals. In particular, our simulations demonstrate that the percolation of stress-supporting bonds happens at different critical volume fractions along different directions. By examining each independent component of the elasticity tensor, we determine universal exponents and develop universal scaling functions to analyze isotropic rigidity percolation as a multicritical point. Our crossover scaling approach is applicable to anisotropic biological materials (<i>e.g.</i> cellular cytoskeletons, extracellular networks of tissues like tendons), and extensions to this analysis are important for the strain stiffening of these materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143770711","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":"Boronic acid-mediated mucin/surface interactions of zwitterionic polymer brushes†","authors":"Karla E. Cureno Hernandez, Jeonghun Lee, Sunghoon Kim, Zach Cartwright and Margarita Herrera-Alonso","doi":"10.1039/D4SM01502A","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4SM01502A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Mucus is a substance that acts as a protective barrier, shielding tissues from infections caused by viruses and bacteria. Recent studies highlight the advantages of transmucosal drug delivery compared to traditional delivery methods. However, external particles in mucus struggle to penetrate its deeper layers and are often eliminated by mucus clearance mechanisms, hindering effective drug delivery. To gain a deeper understanding of how material surfaces interact with mucus, we grafted brushes of poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) onto silica surfaces, followed by the straightforward installation of a terminal boronic acid moiety (3-phenylboronic acid, APBA). The modification process was carried out following a surface-initiated activator regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ARGET ATRP), a method known for its effectiveness in producing well-defined grafted polymers. After conjugation of APBA, we studied the effects of surface chemistry on properties such as pH-sensitivity and mucin adsorption. The surfaces modified with the zwitterionic polymer showed no mucin interaction regardless of system pH. However, all the surfaces containing the boronic acid showed boronic acid–sialic acid interactions, particularly at lower pH values. The insights gained from this study will enhance our understanding of the interactions between the zwitterionic PMPC and the boronic acid APBA with mucins, laying the groundwork for future chemical modifications of particle surfaces aimed at modulating their transport through mucus.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" 16","pages":" 3125-3136"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143762471","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":"Reshapable magnetic particles for morphology-controlled soft systems.","authors":"Sarah Schyck, Nitin Rajendra Madam, Laura Rossi","doi":"10.1039/d5sm00061k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sm00061k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spherical polymeric particles are essential in a wide range of applications, from fundamental self-assembly to bioseparation technologies, with well-established synthetic methodologies. However, incorporating functional components into polymeric matrices to enhance their properties remains a significant challenge, especially when uniformity is required. In this study, we introduce a simple and versatile emulsion evaporation method to fabricate magnetic-loaded polymeric microparticles with exceptional malleability. These composite particles maintain their magnetic functionality while being reshaped into ellipsoids through mechanical stretching. This scalable and straightforward approach offers precise control over particle morphology, offering broad potential for applications in soft robotics, drug delivery, and other magnetically responsive systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143762479","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":"Dynamics of a spheroidal squirmer interacting with a cylindrical obstacle.","authors":"Yan Xia, Zhaosheng Yu, Jianzhong Lin, Zhaowu Lin, Xiao Hu","doi":"10.1039/d5sm00172b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sm00172b","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microorganisms or man-made microswimmers swimming near obstacles have been investigated intensively owing to their importance in biology, physiology, and biomedical engineering. In this work, a direct-forcing fictitious domain method is employed to numerically investigate the interaction between a prolate microorganism (modeled as a squirmer) and a cylindrical obstacle. We report four distinct types of swimming trajectories-forward orbiting, backward orbiting, hovering, and scattering depending on swimmer's aspect ratio. The results illustrate that strong pushers prefer a forward orbit with a low obstacle curvature and a high aspect ratio, while a backward orbit is favored for small aspect ratios. But spheroidal pullers generally scatter off the obstacle. We observe a 'hovering' mode between the backward orbiting and scattering mode for both spherical and spheroidal pushers. Our findings highlight a transition in swimming modes influenced by the geometry and dipolarity of the microswimmer.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143762473","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":"Magnetic field-induced transitions and phase diagram of aggregate structures in a suspension of polydisperse cubic haematite particles.","authors":"Kazuya Okada, Akira Satoh","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01516a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01516a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We investigated a polydisperse cubic haematite particle suspension in an external magnetic field and examined the dependence of magnetic field-induced transitions on the standard deviation of the particle size distribution using quasi-two dimensional Monte Carlo simulations. In the case of smaller polydispersity, stable clusters tend to form owing to stable face-to-face contact. In this case, however, larger magnetic particle-particle interaction strengths are necessary. Since the applied magnetic field enables the magnetic moment of each particle to incline in the field direction, it enhances the formation of chain-like clusters. In the case of larger polydispersity, compared to the smaller polydispersity cases, particle aggregates are formed even in the region of smaller magnetic particle-particle interactions. In this case, small particles combine with a growing cluster composed of large particles to form larger clusters. However, these small particles tend to disturb the internal structure of the particle aggregates, leading to chain-like clusters with narrower widths than those in the case of smaller polydispersity. These characteristics of the particle aggregates confirm that the broadness of polydispersity in a magnetic cubic particle suspension is applicable for controlling the internal structure and regime transition in the internal structure of particle aggregates. This may be an important feature in the development of surface modification techniques using magnetic cubic particle suspensions.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143762477","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 simulation method for highly entangled polymer nanocomposites: scaling exponents of slip-spring age among free and grafted chains, grafting density and nanoparticle/polymer interaction dependence on particle dispersion.","authors":"Semen Vasin, Gaetan Maurel, Taiji Mikami, Corentin Hermange, Iurii Chubak, Robert J Tannenbaum, Sarah C Seeger, Catherine Gauthier, Marc Couty","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01167h","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01167h","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We present an extension of the SLIPLINK technology introduced by A. Likhtman to polymer nanocomposites in order to model explicitly free and grafted chains. Entanglements are explicitly modeled by slip-springs (SS) and follow the constraint release algorithm of destruction/recreation when reaching the chain end. Following the birth/death process, one can compute the age of slip-springs and the entire population age pyramid. We varied nanoparticle volume fraction, grafting density, and polymer/particle interactions to determine structural and dynamic properties of the nanocomposite materials. Scaling laws for slip-springs average age <i>versus</i> chain length have been obtained. While the dynamics of slip-springs between free chains in the nanocomposite is almost identical to that of a pure polymer melt, a characteristic exponent close to 3.7 has emerged governing the average age of slip-springs between grafted chains. The number of inter-particle graft-graft entanglements and their increased average lifetimes have a strong impact on the viscoelastic response of the material and the nanoparticle cluster formation. The emergence of polymer network elasticity will be discussed for high grafting density and high-volume fraction.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143750384","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":"Tuneable microfibrillar collagen structures within dense chitosan hydrogels.","authors":"Enguerran Devernois, Christophe Hélary, Jérôme Charliac, Gervaise Mosser, Thibaud Coradin","doi":"10.1039/d4sm01448k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01448k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chitosan-type I collagen hydrogels are paradigms of polysaccharide-protein assemblies with applications as biomaterials. However, preparing physical hydrogels combining them at comparable, high concentrations (>20 mg mL^-1) within interpenetrated networks remains challenging. Here, we could combine chitosan and collagen solutions at 25 mg mL^-1 to prepare two different types of concentrated hydrogels. When neutralized under ammonia vapours, mixed solutions form composite hydrogels, where collagen fibers exhibiting an unusual, branched morphology occupy a chitosan network porosity. In contrast, neutralization by immersion in liquid ammonia yielded hybrid networks where collagen microfibrils were associated with chitosan nanoaggregates. Structural variations impacted the mechanical behaviour and biological properties, assessed by 2D cultures of fibroblasts, of these hydrogels. Differences in gelation kinetics between the two biomacromolecules in the two processes appeared as a key factor driving the mixed network structuration. This work discloses a new route to obtain dense hydrogels from binary biopolymer systems and offers additional insights into the underlying gelation process.</p>","PeriodicalId":103,"journal":{"name":"Soft Matter","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143750183","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}