Wang Qianqian, Niu Wen, Feng Shixuan, Liu Jun, Liu Huan, Zhu Qianqian
Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
Institute of Quantum and Sustainable Technology (IQST), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China.
ACS Nano. 2023 Aug 8;17(15):14283-14308. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.3c03797. Epub 2023 Jul 18.
Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) suspensions self-assembled into chiral nematic liquid crystals. This property has enabled the development of versatile optical materials with fascinating properties. Nevertheless, the scale-up production and commercial success of chiral nematic CNC superstructures face significant challenges. Fabrication of chiral nematic CNC nanostructures suffers from a ubiquitous pernicious trade-off between uniform chiral nematic structure and rapid self-assembly. Specifically, the chiral nematic assembly of CNCs is a time-consuming, spontaneous process that involves the organization of particles into ordered nanostructures as the solvent evaporates. This review is driven by the interest in accelerating chiral nematic CNC assembly and promoting a long-range oriented chiral nematic CNC superstructure. To start this review, the chirality origins of CNC and CNC aggregates are analyzed. This is followed by a summary of the recent advances in stimuli-accelerated chiral nematic CNC self-assembly procedures, including evaporation-induced self-assembly, continuous coating, vacuum-assisted self-assembly, and shear-induced CNC assembly under confinement. In particular, stimuli-induced unwinding, alignment, and relaxation of chiral nematic structures were highlighted, offering a significant link between the accelerated assembly approaches and uniform chiral nematic nanostructures. Ultimately, future opportunities and challenges for rapid chiral nematic CNC assembly are discussed for more innovative and exciting applications.
纤维素纳米晶体（CNC）悬浮液自组装成手性向列型液晶。这一特性推动了具有迷人特性的多功能光学材料的发展。然而，手性向列型CNC超结构的规模化生产和商业成功面临重大挑战。手性向列型CNC纳米结构的制造在均匀手性向列型结构和快速自组装之间普遍存在有害的权衡。具体而言，CNC的手性向列型组装是一个耗时的自发过程，涉及随着溶剂蒸发将颗粒组织成有序的纳米结构。这篇综述的出发点是加速手性向列型CNC组装并促进长程取向的手性向列型CNC超结构。在开始这篇综述时，分析了CNC和CNC聚集体的手性起源。随后总结了刺激加速手性向列型CNC自组装过程的最新进展，包括蒸发诱导自组装、连续涂层、真空辅助自组装以及受限条件下的剪切诱导CNC组装。特别强调了刺激诱导的手性向列型结构的解缠、排列和松弛，这为加速组装方法与均匀手性向列型纳米结构之间提供了重要联系。最后，讨论了快速手性向列型CNC组装未来的机遇和挑战，以实现更具创新性和令人兴奋的应用。
