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Bioinspired Design of Reconfigurable, Anisometric and/or Patchy Particles

Guided
by hierarchical materials design principles evolved by bacteria, which include
the use of curvature-induced strain
to dynamically position amphiphiles,
proteins and other biomolecules within
single cells, IRG3 of the Wisconsin MRSEC has recently recapitulated these
design principles
in synthetic LC systems. In one set of approaches, the IRG has explored the
complex interplay of curvature strain, surface anchoring and topological
defects within LC droplets to achieve the
synthesis of
either spherical or non-spherical particles with organized, chemically distinct
domains.
The
approach involves the localization of solid colloids at topological defects
that form predictably at the poles of water-dispersed LC droplets.
By
polymerizing the LC droplets displaying the colloids at their surface defects, the
IRG has demonstrated formation
of both spherical and—upon extraction of the mesogen—anisotropic
composite particles with precisely
positioned colloids. Because
the colloids protrude from the surfaces of the particles, they also define chemical
patches
with
chemical functionality
controlled by the colloid surface. Complementary
theoretical studies have provided insight into the equilibrium and dynamical
phenomena that underlie this new class of complex particles.