He Yunqing, Lin Xiaoying, Feng Yue, Wu Feng, Luo Binghong, Liu Mingxian
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, PR China.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, PR China.
J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Dec;651:714-725. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.188. Epub 2023 Jul 29.
Preparing complex non-spherical assemblies of elongated nanoparticles and exploring their topological conformations is a challenge due to liquid crystals' mobility and elastic distortion. Here, we fabricated a variety of non-spherical liquid crystal assemblies of chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) in a coagulation bath containing sodium triphosphate (STP) by drop impact assembly method, and the forming mechanism and internal topology were systematically investigated. The collection height, ChNCs concentration, and STP concentration have significant influence on the shape and size of the assembled structures. Long-range ordered structures and long-lived topological textures of the ChNCs liquid crystal can be obtained since a molecular interaction of hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attractions between ChNCs and STP occur during the impact assembly. Rheological and kinetic analysis suggested the shear thinning behavior of the ChNCs liquid crystals and the rapid gelation phenomenon of ChNCs induced by STP. Morphology results showed that the rod-like ChNCs in the non-spherical assemblies were orderly and closely arranged with periodic repetition and layered structure. The non-spherical assemblies of ChNCs liquid crystals can be used as carriers of carbon nanotubes, magnetic FeO nanoparticles, synthesized polymers, and anticancer drugs for functional composite applications. The drop impact assembly method of ChNCs liquid crystal structure is highly controllable on the composition, morphology, and function, which shows promising applications in energy, environmental-friendly, and bioactive materials.
由于液晶的流动性和弹性畸变，制备由细长纳米颗粒组成的复杂非球形组装体并探索其拓扑构象是一项挑战。在此，我们通过液滴冲击组装法在含有三聚磷酸钠（STP）的凝固浴中制备了多种几丁质纳米晶体（ChNCs）的非球形液晶组装体，并系统研究了其形成机制和内部拓扑结构。收集高度、ChNCs浓度和STP浓度对组装结构的形状和尺寸有显著影响。由于在冲击组装过程中ChNCs与STP之间发生氢键和静电吸引的分子相互作用，因此可以获得ChNCs液晶的长程有序结构和长寿命拓扑纹理。流变学和动力学分析表明了ChNCs液晶的剪切变稀行为以及STP诱导的ChNCs快速凝胶化现象。形态学结果表明，非球形组装体中的棒状ChNCs有序且紧密排列，具有周期性重复和层状结构。ChNCs液晶的非球形组装体可作为碳纳米管、磁性FeO纳米颗粒、合成聚合物和抗癌药物的载体用于功能复合材料应用。ChNCs液晶结构的液滴冲击组装法在组成、形态和功能方面具有高度可控性，在能源、环保和生物活性材料方面显示出广阔的应用前景。
