Volume 62, Issue 36 e202307713
Research Article

Relaxing Wrinkles in Jammed Interfacial Assemblies

Ganhua Xie

Corresponding Author

Ganhua Xie

State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082 China

Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Shipei Zhu

Shipei Zhu

Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Paul Y. Kim

Paul Y. Kim

Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA

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Shubao Jiang

Shubao Jiang

State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082 China

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Qinpiao Yi

Qinpiao Yi

State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082 China

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Pei Li

Pei Li

Analytical Instrumentation Center, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082 China

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Zonglin Chu

Zonglin Chu

State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082 China

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Brett A. Helms

Brett A. Helms

Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA

The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA

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Thomas P. Russell

Corresponding Author

Thomas P. Russell

Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA

Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 USA

Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba, Sendai, 980-8577 Japan

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First published: 14 July 2023
Citations: 4

Graphical Abstract

Autonomous stress-relaxation by dynamic jammed assemblies of nanoparticles and lipids at the interface was demonstrated. Such a lipid-based self-relaxing system may find applications in soft robots, medical and materials applications.

Abstract

Dynamic covalent bonding has emerged as a mean by which stresses in a network can be relaxed. Here, the strength of the bonding of ligands to nanoparticles at the interface between two immiscible liquids affect the same results in jammed assemblies of nanoparticle surfactants. Beyond a critical degree of overcrowding induced by the compression of jammed interfacial assemblies, the bonding of ligands to nanoparticles (NPs) can be broken, resulting in a desorption of the NPs from the interface. This reduces the areal density of nanoparticle surfactants at the interface, allowing the assemblies to relax, not to a fluid state but rather another jammed state. The relaxation of the wrinkles caused by the compression reflects the tendency of these assemblies to eliminate areas of high curvature, favoring a more planar geometry. This enabled the generation of giant vesicular and multivesicular structures from these assemblies.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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