Functional Surfactants for Molecular Fishing, Capsule Creation, and Single-Cell Gene Expression

Creating a single surfactant that is open to manipulation, while maintaining its surface activity, robustness, and compatibility, to expand the landscape of surfactant-dependent assays is extremely challenging. We report an oxidation-responsive precursor with thioethers and multiple 1,2-diols for creating a variety of functional surfactants from one parent surfactant. Using these multifunctional surfactants, we stabilize microfluidics-generated aqueous droplets. The droplets encapsulate different components and immerse in a bioinert oil with distinct interfaces where an azide-bearing surfactant allow fishing of biomolecules from the droplets, aldehyde-bearing surfactant allow fabrication of microcapsules, and hydroxyl-bearing surfactants, with/without oxidized thioethers, allow monitoring of single-cell gene expression. Creating multifunctional surfactants poses opportunities for broad applications, including adsorption, bioanalytics, catalysis, formulations, coatings, and programmable subset of emulsions.

Access to tough and transparent nanocomposites via Pickering emulsion polymerization using biocatalytic hybrid lignin nanoparticles as functional surfactants

Coating of lignin nanoparticles with chitosan and glucose oxidase allows for the green synthesis of acrylic and vinyl polymers in Pickering emulsions. The resulting dispersions offer a green route to tough composites equipped with antioxidant activity.

Ultrathin palladium nanosheets with selectively controlled surface facets

Ultrathin two-dimensional palladium nanosheets with selectively exposed surface facets were controllably synthesized by designed functional surfactants.