This title appears in the Scientific Report :
2014
Please use the identifier:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.268303 in citations.
Please use the identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/8384 in citations.
Direct Visualization of Conformation and Dense Packing of DNA-Based Soft Colloids
Direct Visualization of Conformation and Dense Packing of DNA-Based Soft Colloids
Soft colloids—such as polymer-coated particles, star polymers, block-copolymer micelles, microgels—constitute a broad class of materials where microscopic properties such as deformability and penetrability of the particle play a key role in tailoring their macroscopic properties which is of interest...
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Personal Name(s): | Zhang, Jing (Corresponding Author) |
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Lettinga, M.P. / Dhont, Jan K.G. / Stiakakis, Emmanuel | |
Contributing Institute: |
Weiche Materie; ICS-3 |
Published in: | Physical review letters, 113 (2014) 26, S. 268303 |
Imprint: |
College Park, Md.
APS
2014
|
DOI: |
10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.268303 |
Document Type: |
Journal Article |
Research Program: |
Soft Matter Composites |
Link: |
OpenAccess |
Publikationsportal JuSER |
Please use the identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/8384 in citations.
Soft colloids—such as polymer-coated particles, star polymers, block-copolymer micelles, microgels—constitute a broad class of materials where microscopic properties such as deformability and penetrability of the particle play a key role in tailoring their macroscopic properties which is of interest in many technological areas. The ability to access these microscopic properties is not yet demonstrated despite its great importance. Here we introduce novel DNA-coated colloids with star-shaped architecture that allows accessing the above local structural information by directly visualizing their intramolecular monomer density profile and arm’s free-end locations with confocal fluorescent microscopy. Compression experiments on a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice formed by these macromolecular assemblies reveal an exceptional resistance to mutual interpenetration of their charged corona at pressures approaching the MPa range. Furthermore, we find that this lattice, in a close packing configuration, is surprisingly tolerant to particle size variation. We anticipate that these stimuli-responsive materials could aid to get deeper insight in a wide range of problems in soft matter, including the study and design of biomimetic lubricated surfaces. |