scholarly journals Softening the “Crystal Scaffold” for Life’s Emergence

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Gargi Mitra-Delmotte ◽  
Asoke Nath Mitra
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Magnetic Mineral ◽  
External Control ◽  
Quantum Vacuum ◽  
Associative Networks ◽  
Equilibrium Dynamics ◽  
Hydrophilic Surfaces ◽  
Magnetic Potentials ◽  
Magnetic Rock

Del Giudice’s group studies how water can organize on hydrophilic surfaces forming coherent domains (loaning energy from the quantum vacuum), plus quasifree electrons, whose excitations produce cold vortices, aligning to ambient fields. Their electric and magnetic dipolar modes can couple to oscillatory (electric-organic dipoles) and/or rotary (magnetic-mineral dipoles), besides responding to magnetic potentials. Thus, imprinted electromagnetic patterns of catalytic colloids—compared with Cairns-Smith’s “crystal scaffold”—on their structured water partners could have equipped the latter with a selection basis for “choosing” their context-based “soft-matter” (de Gennes) replacements. We consider the potential of the scenario of an external control on magnetic colloids forming in the Hadean hydrothermal setting (of Russell and coworkers)—via a magnetic rock field—conceptually enabling self-assembly, induction of asymmetries, response effects towards close-to-equilibrium dynamics, and associative networks, besides providing a coherent environment for stabilizing associated symmetry-broken quanta and their feedback interactions with those of coherent water domains, to address the emergence of metabolism and replication.

scholarly journals Moulding hydrodynamic 2D-crystals upon parametric Faraday waves in shear-functionalized water surfaces

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikheil Kharbedia ◽  
Niccolò Caselli ◽  
Diego Herráez-Aguilar ◽  
Horacio López-Menéndez ◽  
Eduardo Enciso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soft Matter ◽  
Shear Stiffness ◽  
External Control ◽  
Faraday Waves ◽  
Plane Shear ◽  
Unit Cell Size ◽  
Ordering Transitions ◽  
Water Surfaces ◽  
Ordering Transition ◽  
Surface Rigidity

AbstractFaraday waves, or surface waves oscillating at half of the natural frequency when a liquid is vertically vibrated, are archetypes of ordering transitions on liquid surfaces. Although unbounded Faraday waves patterns sustained upon bulk frictional stresses have been reported in highly viscous fluids, the role of surface rigidity has not been investigated so far. Here, we demonstrate that dynamically frozen Faraday waves—that we call 2D-hydrodynamic crystals—do appear as ordered patterns of nonlinear gravity-capillary modes in water surfaces functionalized with soluble (bio)surfactants endowing in-plane shear stiffness. The phase coherence in conjunction with the increased surface rigidity bears the Faraday waves ordering transition, upon which the hydrodynamic crystals were reversibly molded under parametric control of their degree of order, unit cell size and symmetry. The hydrodynamic crystals here discovered could be exploited in touchless strategies of soft matter and biological scaffolding ameliorated under external control of Faraday waves coherence.

Topological liquid crystal superstructures as structured light lasers

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (49) ◽  
pp. e2110839118
Author(s):  
Miha Papič ◽  
Urban Mur ◽  
Kottoli Poyil Zuhail ◽  
Miha Ravnik ◽  
Igor Muševič ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Structured Light ◽  
Topological Defects ◽  
Photonic Devices ◽  
Light Polarization ◽  
Self Healing ◽  
Fabry Perot ◽  
Self Assembled ◽  
External Stimuli

Liquid crystals (LCs) form an extremely rich range of self-assembled topological structures with artificially or naturally created topological defects. Some of the main applications of LCs are various optical and photonic devices, where compared to their solid-state counterparts, soft photonic systems are fundamentally different in terms of unique properties such as self-assembly, self-healing, large tunability, sensitivity to external stimuli, and biocompatibility. Here we show that complex tunable microlasers emitting structured light can be generated from self-assembled topological LC superstructures containing topological defects inserted into a thin Fabry–Pérot microcavity. The topology and geometry of the LC superstructure determine the structuring of the emitted light by providing complex three-dimensionally varying optical axis and order parameter singularities, also affecting the topology of the light polarization. The microlaser can be switched between modes by an electric field, and its wavelength can be tuned with temperature. The proposed soft matter microlaser approach opens directions in soft matter photonics research, where structured light with specifically tailored intensity and polarization fields could be designed and implemented.

scholarly journals Transformation between elastic dipoles, quadrupoles, octupoles, and hexadecapoles driven by surfactant self-assembly in nematic emulsion

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (25) ◽  
pp. eabg0377
Author(s):  
Bohdan Senyuk ◽  
Ali Mozaffari ◽  
Kevin Crust ◽  
Rui Zhang ◽  
Juan J. de Pablo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Molecular Alignment ◽  
Smart Windows ◽  
Equilibrium Dynamics ◽  
Fundamental Science ◽  
Pair Interactions ◽  
Isotropic Fluid

Emulsions comprising isotropic fluid drops within a nematic host are of interest for applications ranging from biodetection to smart windows, which rely on changes of molecular alignment structures around the drops in response to chemical, thermal, electric, and other stimuli. We show that absorption or desorption of trace amounts of common surfactants can drive continuous transformations of elastic multipoles induced by the droplets within the uniformly aligned nematic host. Out-of-equilibrium dynamics of director structures emerge from a controlled self-assembly or desorption of different surfactants at the drop-nematic interfaces, with ensuing forward and reverse transformations between elastic dipoles, quadrupoles, octupoles, and hexadecapoles. We characterize intertransformations of droplet-induced surface and bulk defects, probe elastic pair interactions, and discuss emergent prospects for fundamental science and applications of the reconfigurable nematic emulsions.

scholarly journals Light-Powered, yet Chemically Fueled, Dissipative DNA Systems with Transient Lifecycles

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Deng ◽  
Dominik Bezold ◽  
Henning J. Jessen ◽  
Andreas Walther
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Transient Behavior ◽  
External Control ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Spatiotemporal Resolution ◽  
Latent Energy ◽  
Autonomous Behavior ◽  
Adaptive Materials ◽  
Spatiotemporal Control

<div><div><div><p>Fuel-driven dissipative self-assemblies are gaining ground for creating life-like, active and adaptive materials with autonomous behavior. However, up to now there is a lack for simple external control mechanisms of the transient behavior of the steady-state properties, at best using high spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we introduce the first examples of an externally controlled, chemically fueled transient self-assembly system that is ultimately powered using different colors of light. We demonstrate this concept for the programming of the transient lifecycle behaviors of ATP-dissipating, enzymatically controlled, dynamic covalent DNA polymerizations using controlled photolysis of properly designed caged ATP derivatives. Multiple uncaging, as well as wavelength-orthogonal activation are achieved by storing caged fuels as latent energy sources inside the system. We anticipate that this approach can be generalize to other ATP-dissipating self-assemblies and other chemical fuels to achieve versatile spatiotemporal control.</p></div></div></div>

scholarly journals Multivalency Pattern Recognition to Sort Colloidal Assemblies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Loescher ◽  
Andreas Walther
Keyword(s):  
Pattern Recognition ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Colloidal Systems ◽  
Binding Motifs ◽  
Important Principle ◽  
Additional Control ◽  
20 Nm

<i>Multivalent interactions are an important principle for self-assembly, and have been widely used to assemble colloidal systems. However, binding partners on colloids are typically statistically distributed, which falls short of the possibilities arising from geometrically controlled multivalency patterns as for instance found in viruses. Herein, we use the ultimate precision provided by 3D DNA origamis to introduce colloidal scale multivalency pattern recognition via designing geometrically precise interaction patterns at patches of patchy nanocylinder. This gives rise to self-sorting of colloidal assemblies despite having the same type and number of supramolecular binding motifs – solely based on the pattern located on a 20 x 20 nm cross section. The degree of sorting can be modulated by the geometric overlap of patterns and homo, mixed and alternating supracolloidal polymerizations are demonstrated. We demonstrate that geometric positioning of multivalency patterns provides additional control to organize soft matter, and we believe the concept to be of importance for engineering biological response and to be generalizable for other precision nanoparticles and soft matter objects.</i>

scholarly journals Aqueous interfacial gels assembled from small molecule supramolecular polymers

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1350-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander S. Groombridge ◽  
Aniello Palma ◽  
Richard M. Parker ◽  
Chris Abell ◽  
Oren A. Scherman
Keyword(s):  
Small Molecules ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Hyperbranched Polymer ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Supramolecular Polymers ◽  
Supramolecular Network ◽  
Self Healing ◽  
Liquid Interfaces ◽  
Stimuli Responsive

The successful self-assembly of a stimuli-responsive aqueous supramolecular hyperbranched polymer from small molecules and the macrocyclic host cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) is reported. This self-healing supramolecular network can act as a soft matter barrier at liquid–liquid interfaces.

4. Gelification and soapiness

2020 ◽  
pp. 63-90
Author(s):  
Tom McLeish
Keyword(s):  
Brownian Motion ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Intermolecular Forces ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Important Distinction ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
The Third ◽  
Self Assembled ◽  
Weak Intermolecular Forces

‘Gelification and soapiness’ looks at the third class of soft matter: ‘self-assembly’. Like the colloids of inks and clays, and the polymers of plastics and rubbers, ‘self-assembled’ soft matter also emerges as a surprising consequence of Brownian motion combined with weak intermolecular forces. Like them, it also leads to explanations of a very rich world of materials and phenomena, such as gels, foams, soaps, and ultimately to many of the structures of biological life. There is an important distinction that needs to be made between one-dimensional and two-dimensional self-assembly.

scholarly journals Correction: Dynamical self-assembly of dipolar active Brownian particles in two dimensions

Soft Matter ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (27) ◽  
pp. 6443-6443
Author(s):  
Guo-Jun Liao ◽  
Carol K. Hall ◽  
Sabine H. L. Klapp
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Brownian Particles

Correction for ‘Dynamical self-assembly of dipolar active Brownian particles in two dimensions’ by Guo-Jun Liao et al., Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 2208–2223, DOI: 10.1039/C9SM01539F.

scholarly journals Self-assembly of soft-matter quasicrystals and their approximants

2011 ◽  
Vol 108 (52) ◽  
pp. 20935-20940 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Iacovella ◽  
A. S. Keys ◽  
S. C. Glotzer
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Soft Matter
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