Soft material nanoarchitectonics at interfaces: molecular assembly, nanomaterial synthesis, and life control

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsuhiko Ariga ◽  
Xiaofang Jia ◽  
Lok Kumar Shrestha

Nanoarchitectonics would be a breakthrough paradigm for preparation of functional materials with soft material components from nanoscale units.

Actuators ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriyev

The present editorial paper analyzes the hundred recent research works on soft actuation to understand the current main research focus in the light of the grand challenges in the field. Two characteristic paper types were obtained: one focuses on soft actuator design, manufacturing and demonstration, while another includes in addition the development of functional materials. Although vast majority of the works showcased soft actuation, evaluation of its robustness by multi-cyclic actuation was reported in less than 50% of the works, while only 10% described successful actuation for more than 1000 cycles. It is suggested that broadening the research focus to include investigation of mechanisms underlying the degradation of soft functional material performance in real cyclic actuation conditions, along with application of artificial intelligence methods for prediction of muscle behavior, may allow overcoming the reliability issues and developing robust soft-material actuators. The outcomes of the present work might be applicable to the entire soft robotics domain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (32) ◽  
pp. eabh3505
Author(s):  
Ling-Ling Ma ◽  
Chao Liu ◽  
Sai-Bo Wu ◽  
Peng Chen ◽  
Quan-Ming Chen ◽  
...  

Rotation-translation conversion is a popular way to achieve power transmission in machinery, but it is rarely selected by nature. One unique case is that of bacteria swimming, which is based on the collective reorganization and rotation of flagella. Here, we mimic such motion using the light-driven evolution of a self-organized periodic arch pattern. The range and direction of translation are altered by separately varying the alignment period and the stimulating photon energy. Programmable self-propelling actuators are realized via a specific molecular assembly within a photoresponsive cholesteric medium. Through rationally presetting alignments, parallel transports of microspheres in customized trajectories are demonstrated, including convergence, divergence, gathering, and orbital revolution. This work extends the understanding of the rotation-translation conversion performed in an exquisitely self-organized system and may inspire future designs for functional materials and intelligent robotics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1421-1426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baozhong Lü ◽  
Pengyu Li ◽  
Pengfei Li ◽  
Yantu Zhang ◽  
Klaus Müllen ◽  
...  

Molecular assembly has emerged as a key protocol for designing functional materials, although building in task-specific applications remains challenging.


BMC Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Chen ◽  
Xiaohua Tian ◽  
Wenbo He ◽  
Jianwei Li ◽  
Yonghai Feng ◽  
...  

AbstractThe specific interactions responsible for molecular recognition play a crucial role in the fundamental functions of biological systems. Mimicking these interactions remains one of the overriding challenges for advances in both fundamental research in biochemistry and applications in material science. However, current molecular recognition systems based on host–guest supramolecular chemistry rely on familiar platforms (e.g., cyclodextrins, crown ethers, cucurbiturils, calixarenes, etc.) for orienting functionality. These platforms limit the opportunity for diversification of function, especially considering the vast demands in modern material science. Rational design of novel receptor-like systems for both biological and chemical recognition is important for the development of diverse functional materials. In this review, we focus on recent progress in chemically designed molecular recognition and their applications in material science. After a brief introduction to representative strategies, we describe selected advances in these emerging fields. The developed functional materials with dynamic properties including molecular assembly, enzyme-like and bio-recognition abilities are highlighted. We have also selected materials with dynamic properties in contract to traditional supramolecular host–guest systems. Finally, the current limitations and some future trends of these systems are discussed.


COSMOS ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 07 (01) ◽  
pp. 31-42
Author(s):  
S. PUNIREDDY ◽  
S. JAYARAMAN ◽  
R. K. GUPTA ◽  
S. H. YEONG ◽  
F. ZHANG ◽  
...  

A wide range of new materials for many applications can be formed by controlling the composition and order of constituents at the molecular level. For systems thus engineered, ensuring chemical, thermal and mechanical robustness is a major challenge. Consequently, polyimides and other imide-containing materials are attractive as matrices for functional materials. We investigate the construction of functional nanostructures in organic/polymeric matrices with clearly demonstrated chemical, thermal and mechanical stability. Surface functionalization, layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly in various media (including supercritical), incorporation of functional moieties, molecular orientation, and interfacial reactions are areas of interest. We demonstrate the robustness of ultrathin film structures containing polyimides and oligoimides formed by LBL molecular assembly with inter-layer covalent links. Covalent bonding between the layers provides strength, while utilizing a supercritical medium for the processing, results in the deployment of a solvent-free environment and avoids problems related to residual solvent, thereby improving film quality when compared to conventional films.


2007 ◽  
Vol 121-123 ◽  
pp. 731-734
Author(s):  
Li Na Xu ◽  
K.C. Zhou ◽  
Sheng Li Xie ◽  
L. Huang ◽  
Ning Gu

Molecular assembly technology has attracted much research attention due to its flexible applications in modulation of surface property and construction of nanostructures and devices. Herein, a well-defined surface metallization technique has been achieved via anchoring electroless catalysts onto substrates’ surfaces with the pendant active groups of self-assembled monolayers. This method affords a means to control surface functionality at molecular level and has advantages over the conventional Sn-Pd methods, such as convenient operation, good reproducibility, increased longevity of the activated initiator and improved adhesion of metal deposition to substrates. Therefore, it has great significance in the fields of developing bottom-up combined micro/nano-fabrication technique. This metallization process has been successfully performed on hollow ceramic particles to fabricate light-weighted core-shell functional materials.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (16) ◽  
pp. 6013-6045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suchithra Padmajan Sasikala ◽  
Joonwon Lim ◽  
In Ho Kim ◽  
Hong Ju Jung ◽  
Taeyeong Yun ◽  
...  

The discovery of graphene oxide liquid crystal (GOLC) has enabled a broad spectrum of novel graphene-based functional materials and triggered the development of other 2D-based liquid crystal systems.


RSC Advances ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 2009-2018
Author(s):  
Vandana Singh ◽  
Yadavali Siva Prasad ◽  
Arun Kumar Rachamalla ◽  
Vara Prasad Rebaka ◽  
Tohira Banoo ◽  
...  

The design and synthesis of amphiphilic molecules play a crucial role in fabricating smart functional materials via self-assembly.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 124-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debasis Ghosh ◽  
Lakshmi P Datta ◽  
Thimmaiah Govindaraju

DNA is the key biomolecule central to almost all processes in living organisms. The eccentric idea of utilizing DNA as a material building block in molecular and structural engineering led to the creation of numerous molecular-assembly systems and materials at the nanoscale. The molecular structure of DNA is believed to have evolved over billions of years, with structure and stability optimizations that allow life forms to sustain through the storage and transmission of genetic information with fidelity. The nanoscale structural characteristics of DNA (2 nm thickness and ca. 40–50 nm persistence length) have inspired the creation of numerous functional patterns and architectures through noncovalent conventional and unconventional base pairings as well as through mutual templating-interactions with small organic molecules and metal ions. The recent advancements in structural DNA nanotechnology allowed researchers to design new DNA-based functional materials with chemical and biological properties distinct from their parent components. The modulation of structural and functional properties of hybrid DNA ensembles of small functional molecules (SFMs) and short oligonucleotides by adapting the principles of molecular architectonics enabled the creation of novel DNA nanoarchitectures with potential applications, which has been termed as templated DNA nanotechnology or functional DNA nanoarchitectonics. This review highlights the molecular architectonics-guided design principles and applications of the derived DNA nanoarchitectures. The advantages and ability of functional DNA nanoarchitectonics to overcome the trivial drawbacks of classical DNA nanotechnology to fulfill realistic and practical applications are highlighted, and an outlook on future developments is presented.


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