Supracolloidal Atomium

ACS Nano, vol. 14, pp. 15748–15756

Abstract

Nature suggests that complex materials result from a hierarchical organization of matter at different length scales. At the nano- and micrometer scale, macromolecules and supramolecular aggregates spontaneously assemble into supracolloidal structures whose complexity is given by the coexistence of various colloidal entities and the specific interactions between them. Here, we demonstrate how such control can be implemented by engineering specially customized bile salt derivative-based supramolecular tubules that exhibit a highly specific interaction with polymeric microgel spheres at their extremities thanks to their scroll-like structure. This design allows for hierarchical supracolloidal self-assembly of microgels and supramolecular scrolls into a regular framework of "nodes" and "linkers". The supramolecular assembly into scrolls can be triggered by pH and temperature, thereby providing the whole supracolloidal system with interesting stimuli-responsive properties. A colloidal smart assembly is embodied with features of center-linker frameworks as those found in molecular metal-organic frameworks and in structures engineered at human scale, masterfully represented by the Atomium in Bruxelles.

Authors 10

1. Jacopo Cautela

   Lund University · Sapienza University of Rome

   Affiliation as printed

   Lund University , , P.O. Box 124, ,

   Sapienza University of Rome , , ,

   Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, I-00185 Rome, Italy

   Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden

2. Björn Stenqvist

   Lund University

   Affiliation as printed

   Lund University , , P.O. Box 124, ,

   Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden

3. Karin Schillén

   Lund University

   Affiliation as printed

   Lund University , , P.O. Box 124, ,

   Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden

4. Domagoj Belić

   Lund University

   Affiliation as printed

   Lund University , , P.O. Box 124, ,

   Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden

5. Linda K. Månsson

   Lund University

   Affiliation as printed

   Lund University , , P.O. Box 124, ,

   Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden

6. Fabian Hagemans Aachen Institute of Physical Chemistry

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University , , ,

   Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, DE-52056 Aachen, Germany

7. Maximilian Seuß

   Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung e.V. , ,

   Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung e.V. Institut für Physikalische Chemie und Physik der Polymere, DE-01069 Dresden, Germany

8. Andreas Fery

   Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung e.V. , ,

   Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung e.V. Institut für Physikalische Chemie und Physik der Polymere, DE-01069 Dresden, Germany

9. Jérôme J. Crassous corresponding Aachen Institute of Physical Chemistry

   Lund University · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   JARA-SOFT , ,

   Lund University , , P.O. Box 124, ,

   RWTH Aachen University , , ,

   Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden

   Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, DE-52056 Aachen, Germany

   JARA-SOFT, 52056 Aachen, Germany

10. Luciano Galantini corresponding

    Sapienza University of Rome

    Affiliation as printed

    Sapienza University of Rome , , ,

    Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, I-00185 Rome, Italy