Controlling the Morphology in Electrostatic Self-Assembly via Light

Agarwal M, Zika A, Schweins R, Gröhn F (2024)


Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

Book Volume: 16

Article Number: 50

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.3390/polym16010050

Abstract

Electrostatic self-assembly of macroions is an emerging area with great potential in the development of nanoscale functional objects, where photo-irradiation responsiveness can either elevate or suppress the self-assembly. The ability to control the size and shape of macroion assemblies would greatly facilitate the fabrication of desired nano-objects that can be harnessed in various applications such as catalysis, drug delivery, bio-sensors, and actuators. Here, we demonstrate that a polyelectrolyte with a size of 5 nm and multivalent counterions with a size of 1 nm can produce well-defined nanostructures ranging in size from 10–1000 nm in an aqueous environment by utilizing the concept of electrostatic self-assembly and other intermolecular non-covalent interactions including dipole–dipole interactions. The pH- and photoresponsiveness of polyelectrolytes and azo dyes provide diverse parameters to tune the nanostructures. Our findings demonstrate a facile approach to fabricating and manipulating self-assembled nanoparticles using light and neutron scattering techniques.

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How to cite

APA:

Agarwal, M., Zika, A., Schweins, R., & Gröhn, F. (2024). Controlling the Morphology in Electrostatic Self-Assembly via Light. Polymers, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16010050

MLA:

Agarwal, Mohit, et al. "Controlling the Morphology in Electrostatic Self-Assembly via Light." Polymers 16.1 (2024).

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