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A Cast Net Thrown onto an Interface: Wrapping 3D Objects with an Interfacially Jammed Amphiphilic Sheet
Author(s) -
Cui Mengmeng,
Gao Qiang,
Bowland Christopher C.,
Burgeson Eric M.,
Hong Kunlun,
Yue Pengtao,
Naskar Amit K.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced materials interfaces
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.671
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 2196-7350
DOI - 10.1002/admi.201901751
Subject(s) - materials science , pulmonary surfactant , amphiphile , surface tension , nanotechnology , composite material , chemical engineering , polymer , copolymer , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Wrapping a 3D object with a 2D sheet is not uncommon, but the wrapping behavior becomes complex and interesting when the sheet is bestowed with strong interfacial activities. Amphiphilic lignin macromolecules, isolated from biomass, form a scalable thin surfactant sheet at an oil/water interface through the interfacial jamming process. The process marks three distinct stages of interfacial behavior: a) diffusive assembly, b) viscous assembly with retarded mobility, and c) flexible yet irreversibly jammed rigid sheets. The surfactant sheet wraps, traps, and promptly stabilizes both oil and water droplets in nonequilibrium morphologies upon environmental stimulus. Beyond preserving exotic morphologies, the highly interfacially active surfactant sheet also participates in morphology evolution by creating a vanishing interfacial tension and driving interfacial instability around the wrapped content, leading to novel morphologies as well as many potential applications.