Hierarchical Self‐Assembly of Water‐Soluble Fullerene Derivatives into Supramolecular Hydrogels
Small Wiley (2024)
Abstract:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Controlling the self‐assembly of nanoparticle building blocks into macroscale soft matter structures is an open question and of fundamental importance to fields as diverse as nanomedicine and next‐generation energy storage. Within the vast library of nanoparticles, the fullerenes—a family of quasi‐spherical carbon allotropes—are not explored beyond the most common, C<jats:sub>60</jats:sub>. Herein, a facile one‐pot method is demonstrated for functionalizing fullerenes of different sizes (C<jats:sub>60</jats:sub>, C<jats:sub>70</jats:sub>, C<jats:sub>84,</jats:sub> and C<jats:sub>90–92</jats:sub>), yielding derivatives that self‐assemble in aqueous solution into supramolecular hydrogels with distinct hierarchical structures. It is shown that the mechanical properties of these resultant structures vary drastically depending on the starting material. This work opens new avenues in the search for control of macroscale soft matter structures through tuning of nanoscale building blocks.</jats:p>Double Electrode Experiments Reveal the Processes Occurring at PEDOT-Coated Neural Electrode Arrays
ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces American Chemical Society 16:22 (2024) 29439-29452
Abstract:
Neural electrodes have recently been developed with surface modifications of conductive polymers, in particular poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), and extensively studied for their roles in recording and stimulation, aiming to improve their biocompatibility. In this work, the implications for the design of practical neural sensors are clarified, and systematic procedures for their preparation are reported. In particular, this study introduces the use of in vitro double electrode experiments to mimic the responses of neural electrodes with a focus on signal-recording electrodes modified with PEDOT. Specifically, potential steps on one unmodified electrode in an array are used to identify the responses for PEDOT doped with different anions and compared with that of a bare platinum (Pt) electrode. The response is shown to be related to the rearrangement of ions in solution near the detector electrode resulting from the potential step, with a current transient seen at the detector electrode. A rapid response for PEDOT doped with chloride (ca. 0.04 s) ions was observed and attributed to the fast movement of chloride ions in and out of the polymer film. In contrast, PEDOT doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) responds much slower (ca. 2.2 s), and the essential immobility of polyanion constrains the direction of current flow.Nanoscale rheology: dynamic mechanical analysis over a broad and continuous frequency range using photothermal actuation atomic force microscopy
Macromolecules American Chemical Society 57:3 (2024) 1118-1127
Abstract:
Polymeric materials are widely used in industries ranging from automotive to biomedical. Their mechanical properties play a crucial role in their application and function and arise from the nanoscale structures and interactions of their constitutive polymer molecules. Polymeric materials behave viscoelastically, i.e., their mechanical responses depend on the time scale of the measurements; quantifying these time-dependent rheological properties at the nanoscale is relevant to develop, for example, accurate models and simulations of those materials, which are needed for advanced industrial applications. In this paper, an atomic force microscopy (AFM) method based on the photothermal actuation of an AFM cantilever is developed to quantify the nanoscale loss tangent, storage modulus, and loss modulus of polymeric materials. The method is then validated on styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR), demonstrating the method’s ability to quantify nanoscale viscoelasticity over a continuous frequency range up to 5 orders of magnitude (0.2–20,200 Hz). Furthermore, this method is combined with AFM viscoelastic mapping obtained with amplitude modulation–frequency modulation (AM–FM) AFM, enabling the extension of viscoelastic quantification over an even broader frequency range and demonstrating that the novel technique synergizes with preexisting AFM techniques for quantitative measurement of viscoelastic properties. The method presented here introduces a way to characterize the viscoelasticity of polymeric materials and soft and biological matter in general at the nanoscale for any application.Transcending Markov: non-Markovian rate processes of thermosensitive TRP ion channels
Royal Society Open Science Royal Society 10:8 (2023) 230984
Abstract:
The Markov state model (MSM) is a popular theoretical tool for describing the hierarchy of time scales involved in the function of many proteins especially ion channel gating. An MSM is a particular case of the general non-Markovian model, where the rate of transition from one state to another does not depend on the history of state occupancy within the system, i.e. it only includes reversible, non-dissipative processes. However, an MSM requires knowledge of the precise conformational state of the protein and is not predictive when those details are not known. In the case of ion channels, this simple description fails in real (non-equilibrium) situations, for example when local temperature changes, or when energy losses occur during channel gating. Here, we show it is possible to use non-Markovian equations (i.e. offer a general description that includes the MSM as a particular case) to develop a relatively simple analytical model that describes the non-equilibrium behaviour of the temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels, TRPV1 and TRPM8. This model accurately predicts asymmetrical opening and closing rates, infinite processes and the creation of new states, as well as the effect of temperature changes throughout the process. This approach therefore overcomes the limitations of the MSM and allows us to go beyond a mere phenomenological description of the dynamics of ion channel gating towards a better understanding of the physics underlying these processes.Nanoscale rheology: Dynamic Mechanical Analysis over a broad and continuous frequency range using Photothermal Actuation Atomic Force Microscopy
(2023)