A Microfluidic Approach to Chemically Driven Assembly of Colloidal Particles at Gas–Liquid Interfaces

Bubbling up : Dissolution of CO₂ bubbles in a suspension of colloidal particles chemically induces the assembly of particles on the surface of shrunken bubbles, and thus yields rapid continuous formation of a colloidal armor. This approach maintains the high colloidal stability of particles in bulk, has increased productivity, and allows the formation of bubbles with precisely controlled dimensions.

     

Macromolecular Recognition and Macroscopic Interactions by Cyclodextrins

Herein macromolecular recognition by cyclodextrins (CDs) is summarized. Recognition of macromolecules by CDs is classified as main‐chain recognition or side‐chain recognition. We found that CDs form inclusion complexes with various polymers with high selectivity. Polyrotaxanes in which many CDs are entrapped in a polymer chain were prepared. Tubular polymers were prepared from the polyrotaxanes. CDs were found to recognize side‐chains of polymers selectively. CD host polymers were found to form gels with guest polymers in water. These gels showed self‐healing properties. When azobenzene was used as a guest, the gel showed sol‐gel transition by photoirradiation. When ferrocene was used, redox‐responsive gels were obtained. Macroscopic self‐assembly through molecular recognition has been discovered. Photoswitchable gel association and dissociation have been observed.     

Polycationic Amphiphilic Cyclodextrins for Gene Delivery: Synthesis and Effect of Structural Modifications on Plasmid DNA Complex Stability,Cytotoxicity, and Gene Expression

A molecular‐diversity‐oriented approach for the preparation of well‐defined polycationic amphiphilic cyclodextrins (paCDs) as gene‐delivery systems is reported. The synthetic strategy takes advantage of the differential reactivity of primary versus secondary hydroxyl groups on the CD torus to regioselectively decorate each rim with cationic elements and lipophilic tails, respectively. Both the charge density and the hydrophobic–hydrophilic balance can be finely tuned in a highly symmetrical architecture that is reminiscent of both cationic lipids and cationic polymers, the two most prominent types of nonviral gene vectors. The monodisperse nature of paCDs and the modularity of the synthetic scheme are particularly well suited for structure–activity relationship studies. Gel electrophoresis revealed that paCDs self‐assemble in the presence of plasmid DNA (pDNA) to provide homogeneous, stable nanoparticles (CDplexes) of 70–150 nm that fully protect pDNA from the environment. The transfection efficiency of the resulting CDplexes has been investigated in vitro on BNL‐CL2 and COS‐7 cell lines in the absence and presence of serum and found to be intimately dependent on architectural features. Facial amphiphilicity and the presence of a cluster of cationic and hydrogen‐bonding centers for cooperative and reversible complexation of the polyanionic DNA chain is crucial to attain high transgene expression levels with very low toxicity profiles. Further enhancement of gene expression, eventually overcoming that of polyplexes from commercial polyethyleneimine (PEI) polymers (22 kDa), is achieved by building up space‐oriented dendritic polycationic constructs.     

Complex Formation between Polyisoprene and Cyclodextrins

Summary: Polyisoprenes were found to form inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins with high selectivity to give crystalline compounds. β‐Cyclodextrin formed complexes only with polyisoprene of low molecular weight, whereas γ‐cyclodextrin formed complexes with polyisoprenes of high molecular weight. α‐Cyclodextrin did not form complexes with polyisoprene of any molecular weight. The yields of γ‐cyclodextrin complexes increased with increasing molecular weights of the polyisoprenes and reached a maximum of around several thousands, and then decreased.

Theoretical depiction of the complex formed between polyisoprene and γ‐CD, as determined by molecular modelling studies. The PIP chain is shown penetrating the γ‐CD cavity, which, in turn, accommodates one to 1.5 monomer units of PIP.     

Self‐Assembling Nanoparticles at Surfaces and Interfaces

Nanoparticles are the focus of much attention due to their astonishing properties and numerous possibilities for applications in nanotechnology. For realising versatile functions, assembly of nanoparticles in regular patterns on surfaces and at interfaces is required. Assembling nanoparticles generates new nanostructures, which have unforeseen collective, intrinsic physical properties. These properties can be exploited for multipurpose applications in nanoelectronics, spintronics, sensors, etc. This review surveys different techniques, currently employed and being developed, for assembling nanoparticles in to ordered nanostructures. In this endeavour, the principles and methods involved in the development of assemblies are discussed. Subsequently, different possibilities of nanoparticle‐based nanostructures, obtained in multi‐dimensions, are presented.     

Bacterial Imprinting at Pickering Emulsion Interfaces

The tendency of bacteria to assemble at oil–water interfaces can be utilized to create microbial recognition sites on the surface of polymer beads. In this work, two different groups of bacteria were first treated with acryloyl‐functionalized chitosan and then used to stabilize an oil‐in‐water emulsion composed of cross‐linking monomers that were dispersed in aqueous buffer. Polymerization of the oil phase followed by removal of the bacterial template resulted in well‐defined polymer beads bearing bacterial imprints. Chemical passivation of chitosan and cell displacement assays indicate that the bacterial recognition on the polymer beads was dependent on the nature of the pre‐polymer and the target bacteria. The functional materials for microbial recognition show great potential for constructing cell–cell communication networks, biosensors, and new platforms for testing antibiotic drugs.     

Cover Picture: A Microfluidic Approach to Chemically Driven Assembly of Colloidal Particles at Gas–Liquid Interfaces (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 29/2009)

A chemically mediated microfluidic approach to the generation of particle‐coated bubbles is reported by E. Kumacheva and co‐workers in their Communication on page 5300 ff. The approach employs rapid, controllable dissolution of CO₂ bubbles in a dispersion of carboxylated particles. Local increases in the acidity of the medium in the neighborhood of the bubbles lead to a change in the surface energy of the particles and their deposition on the gas–liquid interface.

     

DNA/Polymeric Micelle Self-Assembly Mimicking Chromatin Compaction

Get your daily (nano)fiber: Assemblies of DNA and polymeric core-shell micelles evolve from longer beads-on-a-string structures to shorter monodisperse solenoidal core-shell nanofibers. This self-assembly method allows for synthesis of one-dimensional nanomaterials with controlled dimensions and compositions, overcoming a limitation of existing nanomaterial synthesis.     

Self‐assembly of DNA Origami Using Rolling Circle Amplification Based DNA Nanoribbons

During the development of structural DNA nanotechnology, the emerging of scaffolded DNA origami is marvelous. It utilizes DNA double helix inherent specificity of Watson‐Crick base pairing and structural features to create self‐assembling structures at the nanometer scale exhibiting the addressable character. However, the assembly of DNA origami is disorderly and unpredictable. Herein, we present a novel strategy to assemble the DNA origami using rolling circle amplification based DNA nanoribbons as the linkers. Firstly, long single‐stranded DNA from Rolling Circle Amplification is annealed with several staples to form kinds of DNA nanoribbons with overhangs. Subsequently, the rectangle origami is formed with overhanged staple strands at any edge that would hybridize with the DNA nanoribbons. By mixing them up, we illustrate the one‐dimensional even two‐dimensional assembly of DNA origami with good orientation.