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Switchable Supracolloidal Coassembly of Microgels Mediated by Host/Guest Interactions
Kang Han1, Dennis Go1, Daniel Hoenders2,3
1DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstraße 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
ACS Macro Letters
|June 2, 2022
Summary
Balancing electrostatic repulsion is key for host- and guest-modified microgel (MG) coassembly. Decreasing repulsion transitions microgels from repellent to clustered and ordered states, enabling supramolecular engineering.
Area of Science:
- Colloid and Surface Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Supramolecular Chemistry
Background:
- Supramolecular engineering offers control over colloidal systems.
- Microgels (MGs) are versatile building blocks for complex structures.
- Molecular recognition drives self-assembly in engineered systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the coassembly of host- and guest-modified microgels (MGs).
- Determine the role of electrostatic repulsion in MG coassembly.
- Explore the formation of superstructures from spherical microgel building blocks.
Main Methods:
- Utilized host- and guest-modified microgels (MGs) for coassembly.
- Systematically varied electrostatic repulsion between MGs.
- Observed structural transitions using microscopy and scattering techniques.
Main Results:
- Coassembly by molecular recognition requires balanced electrostatic repulsion.
- Decreasing repulsion led to transitions from repellent MGs to stable clusters and ordered flocculates.
- Multivalent interactions in soft MG shells resulted in kinetically trapped states and fibril formation.
Conclusions:
- Electrostatic repulsion is a critical parameter for controlling microgel (MG) coassembly.
- Supramolecular engineering of MGs can yield diverse superstructures, including fibrils.
- The adaptive nature of MG interactions allows for complex, kinetically controlled self-assembly pathways.
