scholarly journals Stimuli-Responsive Molecular Springs Based on Single- and Multi-Stranded Helical Structures

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Ousaka ◽  
Eiji Yashima
Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 2973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangchao Wan ◽  
Congran Jin ◽  
Ian Trase ◽  
Shan Zhao ◽  
Zi Chen

Helical structures are ubiquitous in natural and engineered systems across multiple length scales. Examples include DNA molecules, plants’ tendrils, sea snails’ shells, and spiral nanoribbons. Although this symmetry-breaking shape has shown excellent performance in elastic springs or propulsion generation in a low-Reynolds-number environment, a general principle to produce a helical structure with programmable geometry regardless of length scales is still in demand. In recent years, inspired by the chiral opening of Bauhinia variegata’s seedpod and the coiling of plant’s tendril, researchers have made significant breakthroughs in synthesizing state-of-the-art 3D helical structures through creating intrinsic curvatures in 2D rod-like or ribbon-like precursors. The intrinsic curvature results from the differential response to a variety of external stimuli of functional materials, such as hydrogels, liquid crystal elastomers, and shape memory polymers. In this review, we give a brief overview of the shape transformation mechanisms of these two plant’s structures and then review recent progress in the fabrication of biomimetic helical structures that are categorized by the stimuli-responsive materials involved. By providing this survey on important recent advances along with our perspectives, we hope to solicit new inspirations and insights on the development and fabrication of helical structures, as well as the future development of interdisciplinary research at the interface of physics, engineering, and biology.


Author(s):  
Guangchao Wan ◽  
Congran Jin ◽  
Ian Trase ◽  
Shan Zhao ◽  
Zi Chen

Actuators are essential components for intelligent machines that can fulfill certain tasks in response to environmental stimuli. In recent years, actuators that can transform from a 2D ribbon shape to a 3D helical configuration under certain external stimuli have attracted significant attention due to the potential applications of the targeted helical structures in springs, propulsion generation, and artificial muscles. Inspired by the chiral opening of Bauhinia variegate‘s seedpods and the coiling of the Towel Gourd tendril with perversions, researchers have made significant breakthroughs in synthesizing state-of-the-art actuators capable of mimicking helical transformations. In this review, we give a brief overview of the shape evolution mechanisms of these two plant structures and then review recent progress in the fabrication of biomimetic helical actuators. These structures are categorized by the stimuli-responsive materials involved, including hydrogels, liquid crystal networks/elastomers, shape memory polymers, and multiwall carbon nanotubes. By providing this survey on important recent advances along with our perspectives, we hope to solicit new inspirations and insights on the development and fabrication of smart actuators, as well as the future development of interdisciplinary research at the interface of physics, engineering, and biology.


Author(s):  
R. M. McCombs ◽  
M. Benyesh-Melnick ◽  
J. P. Brunschwig

Measles virus is an agent that is capable of replicating in a number of different culture cells and generally causes the formation of multinucleated giant cells. As a result of infection, virus is released from the cells into the culture fluids and reinfection can be initiated by this cell-free virus. The extracellular virus has been examined by negative staining with phosphotungstic acid and has been shown to be a rather pleomorphic particle with a diameter of about 140 mμ. However, no such virus particles have been detected in thin sections of the infected cells. Rather, the only virus-induced structures present in the giant cells are eosinophilic inclusions (intracytoplasmic or intranuclear). These inclusion bodies have been shown to contain helical structures, resembling the nucleocapsid observed in negatively stained preparations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 3940-3950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Verkoyen ◽  
Holger Frey

Amino-functional polyethers have emerged as a new class of “smart”, i.e. pH- and thermoresponsive materials. This review article summarizes the synthesis and applications of these materials, obtained from ring-opening of suitable epoxide monomers.


Author(s):  
Khodadad Mostakim ◽  
Nahid Imtiaz Masuk ◽  
Md. Rakib Hasan ◽  
Md. Shafikul Islam

The advancement in 3D printing has led to the rapid growth of 4D printing technology. Adding time, as the fourth dimension, this technology ushered the potential of a massive evolution in fields of biomedical technologies, space applications, deployable structures, manufacturing industries, and so forth. This technology performs ingenious design, using smart materials to create advanced forms of the 3-D printed specimen. Improvements in Computer-aided design, additive manufacturing process, and material science engineering have ultimately favored the growth of 4-D printing innovation and revealed an effective method to gather complex 3-D structures. Contrast to all these developments, novel material is still a challenging sector. However, this short review illustrates the basic of 4D printing, summarizes the stimuli responsive materials properties, which have prominent role in the field of 4D technology. In addition, the practical applications are depicted and the potential prospect of this technology is put forward.


2003 ◽  
Vol 775 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.V.Rama Rao ◽  
Qiang Fu ◽  
Linnea K. Ista ◽  
Huifang Xu ◽  
S. Balamurugan ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study details development of hybrid mesoporous materials in which molecular transport through mesopores can be precisely controlled and reversibly modulated. Mesoporous silica materials formed by surfactant templating were modified by surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAAm) a stimuli responsive polymer (SRP) within the porous network. Thermo gravimetric analysis and FTIR spectroscopy were used to confirm the presence of PNIPAAm on the silica surface. Nitrogen porosimetry, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses confirmed that polymerization occurred uniformly within the porous network. Uptake and release of fluorescent dyes from the particles was monitored by spectrofluorimetry and scanning laser confocal microscopy. Results suggest that the presence of PNIPAAm, a SRP, in the porous network can be used to modulate the transport of aqueous solutes. At low temperature, (e.g., room temperature) the PNIPAAm is hydrated and extended and inhibits transport of analytes; at higher temperatures (e.g., 50°C) it is hydrophobic and is collapsed within the pore network, thus allowing solute diffusion into or out of the mesoporous silica. The transition form hydrophilic to hydrophobic state on polymer grafted mesoporous membranes was determined by contact angle measurements. This work has implications for the development of materials for the selective control of transport of molecular solutes in a variety of applications.


Author(s):  
Gore S. A. ◽  
Gholve S. B. ◽  
Savalsure S. M. ◽  
Ghodake K. B. ◽  
Bhusnure O. G. ◽  
...  

Smart polymers are materials that respond to small external stimuli. These are also referred as stimuli responsive materials or intelligent materials. Smart polymers that can exhibit stimuli-sensitive properties are becoming important in many commercial applications. These polymers can change shape, strength and pore size based on external factors such as temperature, pH and stress. The stimuli include salt, UV irradiation, temperature, pH, magnetic or electric field, ionic factors etc. Smart polymers are very promising applicants in drug delivery, tissue engineering, cell culture, gene carriers, textile engineering, oil recovery, radioactive wastage and protein purification. The study is focused on the entire features of smart polymers and their most recent and relevant applications. Water soluble polymers with tunable lower critical solution temperature (LCST) are of increasing interest for biological applications such as cell patterning, smart drug release, DNA sequencing etc.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhua Li ◽  
Gencheng Li ◽  
Bing Gao ◽  
Sidharam P. Pujari ◽  
Xiaoyan Chen ◽  
...  

The first SuFEx click chemistry synthesis of SOF<sub>4</sub>-derived copolymers based upon the polymerization of bis(iminosulfur oxydifluorides) and bis(aryl silyl ethers) is described. This novel class of SuFEx polymer presents two key characteristics: First, the newly created [-N=S(=O)F-O-] polymer backbone linkages are themselves SuFExable and primed to undergo further high-yielding and precise SuFEx-based post-modification with phenols or amines to yield branched functional polymers. Second, studies of individual polymer chains of several of these new materials indicate the presence of helical polymer structures, which itself suggests a preferential approach of new monomers onto the growing polymer chain upon the formation of the stereogenic linking moiety.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pia Vervoorts ◽  
Stefan Burger ◽  
Karina Hemmer ◽  
Gregor Kieslich

The zeolitic imidazolate frameworks ZIF-8 and ZIF-67 harbour a series of fascinating stimuli responsive properties. Looking at their responsitivity to hydrostatic pressure as stimulus, open questions exist regarding the isotropic compression with non-penetrating pressure transmitting media. By applying a state-of-the-art high-pressure powder X-ray diffraction setup, we revisit the high-pressure behaviour of ZIF-8 and ZIF-67 up to <i>p</i> = 0.4 GPa in small pressure increments. We observe a drastic, reversible change of high-pressure powder X-ray diffraction data at <i>p</i> = 0.3 GPa, discovering large volume structural flexibility in ZIF-8 and ZIF-67. Our results imply a shallow underlying energy landscape in ZIF-8 and ZIF-67, an observation that might point at rich polymorphism of ZIF-8 and ZIF-67, similar to ZIF-4(Zn).<br>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pia Vervoorts ◽  
Stefan Burger ◽  
Karina Hemmer ◽  
Gregor Kieslich

The zeolitic imidazolate frameworks ZIF-8 and ZIF-67 harbour a series of fascinating stimuli responsive properties. Looking at their responsitivity to hydrostatic pressure as stimulus, open questions exist regarding the isotropic compression with non-penetrating pressure transmitting media. By applying a state-of-the-art high-pressure powder X-ray diffraction setup, we revisit the high-pressure behaviour of ZIF-8 and ZIF-67 up to <i>p</i> = 0.4 GPa in small pressure increments. We observe a drastic, reversible change of high-pressure powder X-ray diffraction data at <i>p</i> = 0.3 GPa, discovering large volume structural flexibility in ZIF-8 and ZIF-67. Our results imply a shallow underlying energy landscape in ZIF-8 and ZIF-67, an observation that might point at rich polymorphism of ZIF-8 and ZIF-67, similar to ZIF-4(Zn).<br>


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