Programmed Wrapping and Assembly of Droplets with Mesoscale Polymers

• Main Authors: Barber, Dylan M, Yang, Zhefei, Prevost, Lucas, Roure, Olivia du, Lindner, Anke, Emrick, Todd, Crosby, Alfred J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 20-08-2021
• Subjects: Physics - Materials Science; Physics - Soft Condensed Matter
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2108.09080

Adv. Funct. Mater. 2020, 2002704 Nature is remarkably adept at using interfaces to build structures,
encapsulate reagents, and regulate biological processes. Inspired by Nature, we
describe flexible polymer-based ribbons, termed "mesoscale polymers" (MSPs), to
modulate interfacial interactions with liquid droplets. This produces
unprecedented hybrid assemblies in the forms of flagellum-like structures and
MSP-wrapped droplets. Successful preparation of these hybrid structures hinges
on interfacial interactions and tailored MSP compositions, such as MSPs with
domains possessing distinctly different affinity for fluid-fluid interfaces as
well as mechanical properties. In situ measurements of MSP-droplet interactions
confirm that MSPs possess a negligible bending stiffness, allowing interfacial
energy to drive mesoscale assembly. By exploiting these interfacial driving
forces, mesoscale polymers are demonstrated as a powerful platform that
underpins the preparation of sophisticated hybrid structures in fluids.