Liu Ya, Yong Xin, McFarlin Gerald, Kuksenok Olga, Aizenberg Joanna, Balazs Anna C
Chemical Engineering Department, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA.
Soft Matter. 2015 Nov 28;11(44):8692-700. doi: 10.1039/c5sm01719j.
The extraction of nanoscopic particulates from flowing fluids is a vital step in filtration processes, as well as the fabrication of nanocomposites. Inspired by the ability of carnivorous plants to use hair-like filaments to entrap species, we use computational modeling to design a multi-component system that integrates compliant fibers and thermo-responsive gels to extract particles from the surrounding solution. In particular, hydrophobic fibers are embedded in a gel that exhibits a lower critical solution temperature (LCST). With an increase in temperature, the gel collapses to expose fibers that self-assemble into bundles, which act as nanoscale "grippers" that bind the particles and draw them into the underlying gel. By varying the relative stiffness of the fibers, the fiber-particle interaction strength and the shear rate in the solution, we identify optimal parameters where the particles are effectively drawn from the solution and remain firmly bound within the gel layer. Hence, the system can be harnessed in purifying fluids and creating novel hybrid materials that integrate nanoparticles with polymer gels.
从流动流体中提取纳米颗粒是过滤过程以及纳米复合材料制造中的关键步骤。受食肉植物利用毛发状细丝捕获物种能力的启发，我们使用计算建模来设计一个多组分系统，该系统集成了柔顺纤维和热响应凝胶，以从周围溶液中提取颗粒。具体而言，疏水性纤维嵌入具有较低临界溶液温度（LCST）的凝胶中。随着温度升高，凝胶收缩以暴露自组装成束的纤维，这些纤维充当纳米级“夹具”，结合颗粒并将它们吸入下面的凝胶中。通过改变纤维的相对刚度、纤维与颗粒的相互作用强度以及溶液中的剪切速率，我们确定了最佳参数，在这些参数下颗粒能有效地从溶液中提取出来并牢固地结合在凝胶层内。因此，该系统可用于净化流体并创建将纳米颗粒与聚合物凝胶结合的新型杂化材料。
