scholarly journals Controlling the Emission Properties of Quantum Rods via Multiscale 3D Ordered Organization

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Thomas Bizien ◽  
Marie Postic ◽  
Pascale Even-Hernandez ◽  
Pascal Panizza ◽  
Cristelle Mériadec ◽  
...  

A specific organization of optically active nanoscale objects can greatly affect the optical response of a system. Here, we report the controlled modification of the fluorescent emission by the assembly of water-soluble quantum rods (QRs). Our study combines optical, electron microcopy, and X-ray scattering characterizations to reveal a correlation between the self-assembly behavior of QRs into ordered 3D-arrays and the optical properties (luminescence) of formed assemblies, where the observed optical response is highly dependent on the QR aspect ratio. Specifically, shorter, 18 nm long QRs (QR18), exhibiting a well-defined smectic packing, demonstrate an enhancement of the emission intensity accompanied by a red shift and a lifetime reduction. In contrast, 40 nm long QRs (QR40), forming a columnar phase, does not show these optical properties.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Wu ◽  
Jeffrey Ting ◽  
Siqi Meng ◽  
Matthew Tirrell

We have directly observed the <i>in situ</i> self-assembly kinetics of polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) micelles by synchrotron time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering, equipped with a stopped-flow device that provides millisecond temporal resolution. This work has elucidated one general kinetic pathway for the process of PEC micelle formation, which provides useful physical insights for increasing our fundamental understanding of complexation and self-assembly dynamics driven by electrostatic interactions that occur on ultrafast timescales.


Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 3096-3104
Author(s):  
Valeria Castelletto ◽  
Jani Seitsonen ◽  
Janne Ruokolainen ◽  
Ian W. Hamley

A designed surfactant-like peptide is shown, using a combination of cryogenic-transmission electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering, to have remarkable pH-dependent self-assembly properties.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (37) ◽  
pp. 10275-10280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Roger ◽  
Marianne Liebi ◽  
Jimmy Heimdal ◽  
Quoc Dat Pham ◽  
Emma Sparr

Water evaporation concerns all land-living organisms, as ambient air is dryer than their corresponding equilibrium humidity. Contrarily to plants, mammals are covered with a skin that not only hinders evaporation but also maintains its rate at a nearly constant value, independently of air humidity. Here, we show that simple amphiphiles/water systems reproduce this behavior, which suggests a common underlying mechanism originating from responding self-assembly structures. The composition and structure gradients arising from the evaporation process were characterized using optical microscopy, infrared microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering. We observed a thin and dry outer phase that responds to changes in air humidity by increasing its thickness as the air becomes dryer, which decreases its permeability to water, thus counterbalancing the increase in the evaporation driving force. This thin and dry outer phase therefore shields the systems from humidity variations. Such a feedback loop achieves a homeostatic regulation of water evaporation.


Author(s):  
Leonie van 't Hag ◽  
Konstantin Knoblich ◽  
Shane A. Seabrook ◽  
Nigel M. Kirby ◽  
Stephen T. Mudie ◽  
...  

The proposed mechanism for in meso crystallization of transmembrane proteins suggests that a protein or peptide is initially uniformly dispersed in the lipid self-assembly cubic phase but that crystals grow from a local lamellar phase, which acts as a conduit between the crystal and the bulk cubic phase. However, there is very limited experimental evidence for this theory. We have developed protocols to investigate the lipid mesophase microenvironment during crystal growth using standard procedures readily available in crystallography laboratories. This technique was used to characterize the microenvironment during crystal growth of the DAP12-TM peptide using synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) with a micro-sized X-ray beam. Crystal growth was found to occur from the gyroid cubic mesophase. For one in four crystals, a highly oriented local lamellar phase was observed, providing supporting evidence for the proposed mechanism for in meso crystallization. A new observation of this study was that we can differentiate diffraction peaks from crystals grown in meso , from peaks originating from the surrounding lipid matrix, potentially opening up the possibility of high-throughput SAXS analysis of in meso grown crystals. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Soft interfacial materials: from fundamentals to formulation’.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruby R. Rafanan

Emulsified microemulsions (EMEs), first described in detail in 2005 by the group of Garti, consist of a thermodynamically stable water-in-oil microemulsion phase (w1/o) further dispersed within an aqueous continuous phase (w2). These internally-structured w1/o/w2 dispersions are promising controlled release vehicles for water-soluble flavouring compounds, drugs and nutraceuticals. With a stable internal droplet structure, storage stability is improved over non-thermodynamically stable structured emulsions and may exhibit unique controlled release behaviour. Use of food-grade components allows for wider and safer applications in food and pharmaceutical products. In this thesis, a food-grade w1/o microemulsion consisting of glycerol monooleate, tricaprylin and water was dispersed in an aqueous (w2) phase by membrane emulsification and stabilized by a caseinate-pectin complex to produce w1/o/w2 EMEs. The resulting EME showed no signs of phase separation for weeks at room temperature. The microemulsion and EME were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), cryo-TEM and small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) to determine whether the microemulsion’s internal structure was maintained after emulsification. It was shown that EME droplets displayed ordering around the periphery consistent with some loss of microemulsion structure, but maintained the characteristic disordered microemulsion structure at the droplet core. Overall, this research demonstrated the feasibility of developing EME for possible applications in food and non-food applications.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruby R. Rafanan

Emulsified microemulsions (EMEs), first described in detail in 2005 by the group of Garti, consist of a thermodynamically stable water-in-oil microemulsion phase (w1/o) further dispersed within an aqueous continuous phase (w2). These internally-structured w1/o/w2 dispersions are promising controlled release vehicles for water-soluble flavouring compounds, drugs and nutraceuticals. With a stable internal droplet structure, storage stability is improved over non-thermodynamically stable structured emulsions and may exhibit unique controlled release behaviour. Use of food-grade components allows for wider and safer applications in food and pharmaceutical products. In this thesis, a food-grade w1/o microemulsion consisting of glycerol monooleate, tricaprylin and water was dispersed in an aqueous (w2) phase by membrane emulsification and stabilized by a caseinate-pectin complex to produce w1/o/w2 EMEs. The resulting EME showed no signs of phase separation for weeks at room temperature. The microemulsion and EME were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), cryo-TEM and small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) to determine whether the microemulsion’s internal structure was maintained after emulsification. It was shown that EME droplets displayed ordering around the periphery consistent with some loss of microemulsion structure, but maintained the characteristic disordered microemulsion structure at the droplet core. Overall, this research demonstrated the feasibility of developing EME for possible applications in food and non-food applications.


2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Aslamazova ◽  
V. A. Kotenev ◽  
A. A. Shiryaev ◽  
A. Yu. Tsivadze

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