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Directed Nanoscale Self‐Assembly of Low Molecular Weight Hydrogelators Using Catalytic Nanoparticles
Author(s) -
Wang Yiming,
Versluis Frank,
Oldenhof Sander,
Lakshminarayanan Vasudevan,
Zhang Kai,
Wang Yunwei,
Wang Jie,
Eelkema Rienk,
Guo Xuhong,
van Esch Jan H.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201707408
Subject(s) - materials science , nanoparticle , nanoscopic scale , catalysis , polymer , supramolecular chemistry , self assembly , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , molecule , organic chemistry , composite material , chemistry , engineering
The work presented here shows that the growth of supramolecular hydrogel fibers can be spatially directed at the nanoscale by catalytic negatively charged nanoparticles (NCNPs). The NCNPs with surfaces grafted with negatively charged polymer chains create a local proton gradient that facilitates an acid‐catalyzed formation of hydrogelators in the vicinity of NCNPs, ultimately leading to the selective formation of gel fibers around NCNPs. The presence of NCNPs has a dominant effect on the properties of the resulting gels, including gelation time, mechanical properties, and network morphology. Interestingly, local fiber formation can selectively entrap and precipitate out NCNPs from a mixture of different nanoparticles. These findings show a new possibility to use directed molecular self‐assembly to selectively trap target nano‐objects, which may find applications in therapy, such as virus infection prevention, or engineering applications, like water treatment and nanoparticle separation.