31 research outputs found
Impact of the Solvent Quality on the Local Dynamics of Soft and Swollen Polymer Nanoparticles Functionalized with Polymer Chains
Nanoconfinement in miniemulsion increases reaction rates of thiol-ene photopolymerization and yields high molecular weight polymers
Polysaccharide-Based pH-Responsive Nanocapsules Prepared with Bio-Orthogonal Chemistry and Their Use as Responsive Delivery Systems
OneâStep Generation of CoreâGapâShell Microcapsules for StimuliâResponsive Biomolecular Sensing
The versatile design of stimuliâresponsive microparticles embedding valuable biomolecules has great potential in a variety of engineering fields, such as sensors, actuators, drug delivery, and catalysis. Here, results are reported on thermoresponsive coreâgapâshell (TCGS) microcapsules made of poly(Nâisopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm), which encapsulate hydrophilic payloads in a simple and stable manner. These are realized by a oneâstep microfluidic approach using the phase separation of a supersaturated aqueous solution of NIPAm. Various designs of the microcapsules are achieved by individual control of the swelling or by incorporating pHâresponsive comonomers of the inner core and outer shell. The gap, i.e., the space between the inner core and outer shell, can be loaded with cargoâlike nanoparticles. The outer shell can serve as a stimuliâresponsive gateway for the transport of smaller molecules from the external solution. It is shown that the TCGS microcapsules are suitable as temperature controllable glucose sensors and hold promise in the design of controllable enzymatic reactions. The proposed platform provides an avenue for developing a newâgeneration of microparticles for diverse and efficient engineering applications
Pine cone scale-inspired motile origami
Stimuli-sensitive hydrogels have received attention because of their potential applications in various fields. Stimuli-directed motion offers many practical applications, such as in drug delivery systems and actuators. Directed motion of asymmetric hydrogels has long been designed; however, few studies have investigated the motion control of symmetric hydrogels. We designed a pine cone scale-inspired movable temperature-sensitive symmetric hydrogel that contains Fe3O4. Alignment of Fe3O4 along the magnetic force is key in motion control in which Fe3O4 acts like fibers in a pine cone scale. Although a homogeneous temperature-sensitive hydrogel cannot respond to a temperature gradient, the Fe3O4-containing hydrogel demonstrates considerable bending motion. Varying degrees and directions of motion are easily facilitated by controlling the amount and alignment angle of the Fe3O4. The shape of the hydrogel layer also influences the morphological structure. This study introduced facile and low-cost methods to control various bending motions. These results can be applied to many fields of engineering, including industrial engineering.111Ysciescopu