Responsive, shape-changing endoskeletal droplets

1336132 PI：Furst这项工作的目的是创造和研究一类新的响应材料，称为内骨骼液滴。这些是水包油乳液液滴，其含有结晶固体的软网络的内部支架。这种内骨骼提供了塑造和维持非球形形状的能力。这些亚稳态结构中的力的平衡可用于触发响应于外部刺激的形状重组，包括液滴表面张力的变化或通过增加温度削弱内部支架。该项目将研究内骨骼液滴的结构、微观力学和对刺激的反应性。此外，这些液滴的流体-流体界面也将用于容纳或排斥颗粒，这将进一步允许信息流过液滴界面，类似于活细胞中受体的功能。工程形状各向异性和形状变化的胶体和颗粒在自组装，流变学和药物输送的应用。各向异性形状通过增强的碰撞横截面导致更好的沉积，而结构化液滴使形状适应弯曲表面的能力将促进抵抗流体动力学应力的保持。关于形状改变颗粒的先前工作几乎完全集中在固体材料上。对内骨骼液滴的初步研究突出了从流体和其他简单材料中设计新的响应性材料的丰富可能性，这些材料对商业药物制剂、洗发剂、洗涤剂、化妆品和农业保护剂等各种技术应用具有巨大的兴趣。强有力的国际和工业伙伴关系加强了这些广泛的影响。在特拉华州工作的博士生将有机会在PG和新南威尔士大学的复杂流体微结构组进行研究实习。此外，PI的教育和推广活动将提高K-12学生和教师对软材料和胶体研究和应用的兴趣。这项工作由化学，生物，环境和运输部门的颗粒和多相过程计划，材料研究部门的生物材料计划以及两个部门的BioMaPS基金共同资助。

1336132PI: FurstThe aim of this work is to create and study a new class of responsive materials called endoskeletal droplets. These are oil-in-water emulsion droplets that contain an internal scaffold of a soft network of crystalline solids. This endoskeleton provides the ability to mold and sustain a non-spherical shape. The balance of forces in these metastable structures can be used to trigger reorganization in shape in response to external stimuli, including changes to the droplet surface tension or weakening of the internal scaffold by increasing temperature. This project will study the structure, micromechanics, and responsiveness to stimuli of endoskeletal droplets. In addition, the fluid-fluid interfaces of these droplets will also be used to host or reject particles, which will further allow information flow through the droplet interface akin to the function of receptors in living cells. Engineering shape anisotropy and shape change by colloids and particulates has applications in self-assembly, rheology, and drug delivery. Anisotropic shape leads to better deposition through enhanced collision cross-section, while the ability of structured droplets to adapt shape to curved surfaces will promote retention against hydrodynamic stresses. Prior work on shape changing particles has focused almost exclusively on solid materials. Preliminary studies of endoskeletal droplets highlight the rich possibilities for designing new responsive materials out of fluids and other simple materials that are of tremendous interest to technological applications as varied as commercial drug formulations, shampoos, detergents, cosmetics, and agricultural protectants. These broad impacts are enhanced by strong international and industrial partnerships. PhD students working at Delaware will have the opportunity to conduct research internships in the Complex Fluids Microstructures Group at P&G and at the University of New South Wales. In addition, the education and outreach activities of the PI will boost the interest of K-12 students and teachers in research and applications of soft materials and colloids.The work is jointly funded by the Particulate and Multiphase Processes Program in Chemical, Biological, Environmental, and transport Division, Biomaterials Program in the Division of Materials Research,and BioMaPS funds from both divisions.