JANUS HYBRIDS

Responsive Janus inorganic / polymeric hybrid particles and their self-assembly

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'This project aims for the preparation and self-assembly of responsive Janus inorganic/polymer hybrid particles. Such particles will exhibit distinguishing properties and potential applications in various fields, such as materials assembly, catalysis, microelectronics, and bionanotechnology, by the integration of multiple properties, e.g. of the “soft” polymeric component, of the “hard” inorganic component, sensitivity to the environment, and the anistropy originating from two chemically distinct regions. This research will create a novel one-pot method of producing series of these responsive Janus hybrid particles in large quantities by combining inner phase separation inside droplets with a sol-gel process. Furthermore, other functional moieties (e.g. adamantane(Ad), b-cyclodextrin (CD)) can be integrated into the Janus hybrid particles for improving their function. By controlling their morphology and structure, tuning their response to the environment, the properties of these particles will be investigated in detail, such as stimuli-responsive properties and the hydrophilic-oleophilic transition. In particular, the self-assembly behavior of these particles will be studied to great detail, such as the aggregation/disaggregation behavior, self-assembly induced by the CD/Ad complementary interaction pairs, superparticle structure, and self-assembly at interfaces. Finally, this proposal will explore the application of these Janus hybrid particles in the areas of stabilizing emulsions and on-off catalytic reactions. In the latter case, their switchable catalysis will be investigated.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Could particles change their morphology and perform functions in response to the environment they are in? An EU-funded project addressed this possibility.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of beginnings and transition, often portrayed with two faces gazing in opposite directions. In the EU-funded project 'Responsive Janus inorganic / polymeric hybrid particles and their self-assembly' (JANUS HYBRIDS), scientists engineered responsive Janus inorganic polymer hybrid particles that are able to change their morphology. Such particles have potential applications in fields as varied as material science, microelectronics and nanobiotechnology.

The project team devised a novel one-pot method for producing Janus particles in large quantities by combining phase separation inside droplets with a sol-gel process. Two kinds of Janus particles were prepared: copolymers and inorganic polymer hybrid particles. By controlling their morphology and structure, scientists investigated properties such as stimuli-responsive behaviour and hydrophilic-oleophilic transition. The hybrid particle responsiveness resulted in their controlled aggregation.

Scientists applied chemical strategies that provided selective phase functionalisation to modify the hybrid particles. Hybrid particles were found to self-assemble on a metal surface, producing a smart, responsive hybrid surface. The particles also underwent controlled self-assembly by equipping them with biotin groups and aggregating them with streptavidin. In addition, they were found to emulsify a mixture of oil and water and were able to switch between oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions. Their utility as catalysts has also been demonstrated.

Project findings open up broad possibilities as Janus particles can be used for a myriad of applications.