Dynamic Assembly of Microgels and Polymers at Non‐Aqueous Liquid/Liquid Interfaces
Abstract Particle assembly at liquid–liquid interfaces presents a promising bottom‐up strategy for creating supramolecular materials with advanced functionalities. However, the significantly lower interfacial tension observed in immiscible organic phases compared to traditional oil–water systems has...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Advanced Science |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202415642 |
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| author | Xin Guan Yang Liu Lianwei Li Man‐Hin Kwok Mingming Ding Hang Jiang To Ngai |
| author_facet | Xin Guan Yang Liu Lianwei Li Man‐Hin Kwok Mingming Ding Hang Jiang To Ngai |
| author_sort | Xin Guan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Particle assembly at liquid–liquid interfaces presents a promising bottom‐up strategy for creating supramolecular materials with advanced functionalities. However, the significantly lower interfacial tension observed in immiscible organic phases compared to traditional oil–water systems has hindered the effective adsorption and assembly of particles at oil–oil interfaces. In this work, a versatile and effective strategy is presented that utilizes the assembly and jamming of microgels and polymer ligands at non‐aqueous liquid–liquid interfaces to create non‐aqueous Pickering emulsions and reconfigurable droplet networks. The resulting microgel‐polymer complexes form an asymmetric interfacial bilayer with high surface coverage, which effectively minimizes interfacial energy and improves interfacial elasticity. Through a combination of systematic interfacial measurements and molecular dynamics simulations, the underlying mechanisms governing interfacial self‐assembly are elucidated. Notably, the stimuli‐responsive nature of the microgel‐polymer complexes allows for precise control over the interfacial assembly and disassembly by introducing competitive molecules. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that these non‐aqueous Pickering emulsions serve as excellent templates for the fabrication of heterogeneous organogels and microgel‐based colloidosomes through both covalent and non‐covalent crosslinking strategies. This work underscores the potential of non‐aqueous interfaces in advancing materials science and opens new avenues for developing multifunctional materials. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-003064a48b75415db1cfab0acfcee5b2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2198-3844 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advanced Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-003064a48b75415db1cfab0acfcee5b22025-08-20T01:51:39ZengWileyAdvanced Science2198-38442025-04-011213n/an/a10.1002/advs.202415642Dynamic Assembly of Microgels and Polymers at Non‐Aqueous Liquid/Liquid InterfacesXin Guan0Yang Liu1Lianwei Li2Man‐Hin Kwok3Mingming Ding4Hang Jiang5To Ngai6Department of Chemistry The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shatin, N.T Hong Kong ChinaCollege of Polymer Science and Engineering State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering Sichuan University Chengdu 610065 ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Shenzhen University Shenzhen 518060 ChinaDepartment of Chemistry The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shatin, N.T Hong Kong ChinaCollege of Polymer Science and Engineering State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering Sichuan University Chengdu 610065 ChinaKey Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids Ministry of Education & School of Chemical and Material Engineering Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 ChinaDepartment of Chemistry The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shatin, N.T Hong Kong ChinaAbstract Particle assembly at liquid–liquid interfaces presents a promising bottom‐up strategy for creating supramolecular materials with advanced functionalities. However, the significantly lower interfacial tension observed in immiscible organic phases compared to traditional oil–water systems has hindered the effective adsorption and assembly of particles at oil–oil interfaces. In this work, a versatile and effective strategy is presented that utilizes the assembly and jamming of microgels and polymer ligands at non‐aqueous liquid–liquid interfaces to create non‐aqueous Pickering emulsions and reconfigurable droplet networks. The resulting microgel‐polymer complexes form an asymmetric interfacial bilayer with high surface coverage, which effectively minimizes interfacial energy and improves interfacial elasticity. Through a combination of systematic interfacial measurements and molecular dynamics simulations, the underlying mechanisms governing interfacial self‐assembly are elucidated. Notably, the stimuli‐responsive nature of the microgel‐polymer complexes allows for precise control over the interfacial assembly and disassembly by introducing competitive molecules. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that these non‐aqueous Pickering emulsions serve as excellent templates for the fabrication of heterogeneous organogels and microgel‐based colloidosomes through both covalent and non‐covalent crosslinking strategies. This work underscores the potential of non‐aqueous interfaces in advancing materials science and opens new avenues for developing multifunctional materials.https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202415642interfacial assemblyliquid structuringmicrogel‐polymer complexesorganogelsPickering emulsions |
| spellingShingle | Xin Guan Yang Liu Lianwei Li Man‐Hin Kwok Mingming Ding Hang Jiang To Ngai Dynamic Assembly of Microgels and Polymers at Non‐Aqueous Liquid/Liquid Interfaces Advanced Science interfacial assembly liquid structuring microgel‐polymer complexes organogels Pickering emulsions |
| title | Dynamic Assembly of Microgels and Polymers at Non‐Aqueous Liquid/Liquid Interfaces |
| title_full | Dynamic Assembly of Microgels and Polymers at Non‐Aqueous Liquid/Liquid Interfaces |
| title_fullStr | Dynamic Assembly of Microgels and Polymers at Non‐Aqueous Liquid/Liquid Interfaces |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamic Assembly of Microgels and Polymers at Non‐Aqueous Liquid/Liquid Interfaces |
| title_short | Dynamic Assembly of Microgels and Polymers at Non‐Aqueous Liquid/Liquid Interfaces |
| title_sort | dynamic assembly of microgels and polymers at non aqueous liquid liquid interfaces |
| topic | interfacial assembly liquid structuring microgel‐polymer complexes organogels Pickering emulsions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202415642 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xinguan dynamicassemblyofmicrogelsandpolymersatnonaqueousliquidliquidinterfaces AT yangliu dynamicassemblyofmicrogelsandpolymersatnonaqueousliquidliquidinterfaces AT lianweili dynamicassemblyofmicrogelsandpolymersatnonaqueousliquidliquidinterfaces AT manhinkwok dynamicassemblyofmicrogelsandpolymersatnonaqueousliquidliquidinterfaces AT mingmingding dynamicassemblyofmicrogelsandpolymersatnonaqueousliquidliquidinterfaces AT hangjiang dynamicassemblyofmicrogelsandpolymersatnonaqueousliquidliquidinterfaces AT tongai dynamicassemblyofmicrogelsandpolymersatnonaqueousliquidliquidinterfaces |