Premium
Biocatalytic Feedback‐Controlled Non‐Newtonian Fluids
Author(s) -
Hao Xiang,
Yang Kaixiang,
Wang Hairong,
Peng Feng,
Yang Haiyang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201914398
Subject(s) - viscoelasticity , shear thinning , rheology , newtonian fluid , polyelectrolyte , chemical engineering , non newtonian fluid , materials science , chemical physics , chemistry , polymer , thermodynamics , organic chemistry , composite material , physics , engineering
Non‐Newtonian fluids are ubiquitous in daily life and industrial applications. Herein, we report an intelligent fluidic system integrating two distinct non‐Newtonian rheological properties mediated by an autocatalytic enzyme reaction. Associative polyelectrolytes bearing a small amount of ionic and alkyl groups are engineered: by carefully balancing the charge density and the hydrophobic effect, the polymer solutions demonstrate a unique shear thickening property at low pH while shear thinning at high pH. The urea‐urease clock reaction is utilized to program a feedback‐induced pH change, leading to a strong upturn of the nonlinear viscoelastic properties. As long as the chemical fuel is supplied, two distinct non‐Newtonian states can be achieved with a tunable lifetime span. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate how the physical energy‐driven nonequilibrium properties can be manipulated by a chemical‐fueled process.