Directional wetting in anisotropic inverse opals

Porous materials display interesting transport phenomena due to the restricted motion of fluids within the nano- to micro-scale voids. Here, we investigate how liquid wetting in highly ordered inverse opals is affected by anisotropy in pore geometry. We compare samples with different degrees of pore asphericity and find different wetting patterns depending on the pore shape. Highly anisotropic structures are infiltrated more easily than their isotropic counterparts. Further, the wetting of anisotropic inverse opals is directional, with liquids filling from the side more easily. This effect is supported by percolation simulations as well as direct observations of wetting using time-resolved optical microscopy

Tunable anisotropy in inverse opals and emerging optical properties

Using self-assembly, nanoscale materials can be fabricated from the bottom up. Opals and inverse opals are examples of self-assembled nanomaterials made from crystallizing colloidal particles. As self-assembly requires a high level of control, it is challenging to use building blocks with anisotropic geometry to form complex opals, which limits the realizable structures. Typically, spherical colloids are employed as building blocks, leading to symmetric, isotropic superstructures. However, a significantly richer palette of directionally dependent properties are expected if less symmetric, anisotropic structures can be created, especially originating from the assembly of regular, spherical particles. Here we show a simple method to introduce anisotropy into inverse opals by subjecting them to a post-assembly thermal treatment that results in directional shrinkage of the silica matrix caused by condensation of partially hydrated sol-gel silica structures. In this way, we can tailor the shape of the pores, and the anisotropy of the final inverse opal preserves the order and uniformity of the self-assembled structure, while completely avoiding the need to synthesize complex oval-shaped particles and crystallize them into such target geometries. Detailed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy studies clearly identify increasing degrees of sol-gel condensation in confinement as a mechanism for the structure change. A computer simulation of structure changes resulting from the condensation-induced shrinkage further confirmed this mechanism. As an example of property changes induced by the introduction of anisotropy, we characterized the optical spectra of the anisotropic inverse opals and found that the optical properties can be controlled in a precise way using calcination temperature

Enhanced Dispersion of TiO2 Nanoparticles in a TiO2/PEDOT:PSS Hybrid Nanocomposite via Plasma-Liquid Interactions

A facile method to synthesize a TiO2/PEDOT:PSS hybrid nanocomposite material in aqueous solution through direct current (DC) plasma processing at atmospheric pressure and room temperature has been demonstrated. The dispersion of the TiO2 nanoparticles is enhanced and TiO2/polymer hybrid nanoparticles with a distinct core shell structure have been obtained. Increased electrical conductivity was observed for the plasma treated TiO2/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite. The improvement in nanocomposite properties is due to the enhanced dispersion and stability in liquid polymer of microplasma treated TiO2 nanoparticles. Both plasma induced surface charge and nanoparticle surface termination with specific plasma chemical species are proposed to provide an enhanced barrier to nanoparticle agglomeration and promote nanoparticle-polymer binding

Dipole-induced conductivity enhancement by n-type inclusion in a p-type system: alpha-Fe2O3-PEDOT:PSS nanocomposites

Hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) nanoparticles of two different shapes but of same size (ca. 40 nm) were dispersed in PEDOT:PSS matrices in various concentration ranges (0-7 wt%) to study the consequent changes in conductivity in the dark and under solar illumination conditions. Within a distinct range of concentration, a distinct increase in the conductivity was observed for both spherical and cubical particle population. We ascribed this effect to the generalized Poole-Frenkel theory of conduction in conjunction with the basic depletion width properties of heterojunctions and electrostatic dipole moments, and verified our assumptions through data fitting. A difference in conductivity between sphere-and cube-based alpha-Fe2O3-PEDOT: PSS nanocomposites was also observed and ascribed to the electrostatic edge effect on the nanoparticles. The dispersion of alpha-Fe2O3 nanocrystals was confirmed by high-resolution electron microscopy, whereas the electrical properties and modulations thereof were followed by recording current-voltage characteristics

Dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy imaging on fragments of beta-connectin from human cardiac muscle

In order to investigate the protein folding-unfolding process, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging were used to study two fragments of the muscle cardiac protein β-connectin, also known as titin. Both fragments belong to the I band of the sarcomer, and they are composed of four domains from I27 to I30 (tetramer) and eight domains from I27 to I34 (octamer). DLS measurements provide the size of both fragments as a function of temperature from 20 up to 86 °C, and show a thermal denaturation due to temperature increase. AFM imaging of both fragments in the native state reveals a homogeneous and uniform distribution of comparable structures. The DLS and AFM techniques turn out to be complementary for size measurements of the fragments and fragment aggregates. An unexpected result is that the octamer folds into a smaller structure than the tetramer and the unfolded octamer is also smaller than the unfolded tetramer. This feature seems related to the significance of the hydrophobic interactions between domains of the fragment. The longer the fragment, the more easily the hydrophobic parts of the domains interact with each other. The fragment aggregation behavior, in particular conditions, is also revealed by both DLS and AFM as a process that is parallel to the folding-unfolding transition