TY - JOUR A1 - Umlandt, Maren A1 - Feldmann, David A1 - Schneck, Emanuel A1 - Santer, Svetlana A1 - Bekir, Marek T1 - Adsorption of photoresponsive surfactants at solid-liquid interfaces JF - Langmuir N2 - We report on the adsorption kinetics of azoben-zene-containing surfactants on solid surfaces of different hydrophobicity. The understanding of this processes is of great importance for many interfacial phenomena that can be actuated and triggered by light, since the surfactant molecules contain a photoresponsive azobenzene group in their hydrophobic tail. Three surfactant types are studied, differing in the spacer connecting the headgroup and the azobenzene unit by between 6 and 10 CH2 groups. Under irradiation with light of a suitable wavelength, the azobenzene undergoes reversible photoisomerization between two states, a nonpolar trans-state and a highly polar cis-state. Consequently, the surfactant molecule changes its hydrophobicity and thus affinity to a surface depending on the photoisomerization state of the azobenzene. The adsorption behavior on hydrophilic (glass) and hydrophobic (TeflonAF) surfaces is analyzed using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and zeta-potential measurements. At equilibrium, the adsorbed surfactant amount is almost twice as large on glass compared to TeflonAF for both isomers. The adsorption rate for the trans-isomers on both surfaces is similar, but the desorption rate of the trans-isomers is faster at the glass-water interface than at the Teflon-water interface. This result demonstrates that the trans-isomers have higher affinity for the glass surface, so the trans-to-cis ratios on glass and TeflonAF are 80/1 and 2/1, respectively, with similar trends for all three surfactant types. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02545 SN - 0743-7463 SN - 1520-5827 VL - 36 IS - 46 SP - 14009 EP - 14018 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Arya, Pooja A1 - Jelken, Joachim A1 - Feldmann, David A1 - Lomadze, Nino A1 - Santer, Svetlana T1 - Light driven diffusioosmotic repulsion and attraction of colloidal particles JF - The journal of chemical physics : bridges a gap between journals of physics and journals of chemistr N2 - In this paper, we introduce the phenomenon of light driven diffusioosmotic long-range attraction and repulsion of porous particles under irradiation with UV light. The change in the inter-particle interaction potential is governed by flow patterns generated around single colloids and results in reversible aggregation or separation of the mesoporous silica particles that are trapped at a solid surface. The range of the interaction potential extends to several times the diameter of the particle and can be adjusted by varying the light intensity. The "fuel" of the process is a photosensitive surfactant undergoing photo-isomerization from a more hydrophobic trans-state to a rather hydrophilic cis-state. The surfactant has different adsorption affinities to the particles depending on the isomerization state. The trans-isomer, for example, tends to accumulate in the negatively charged pores of the particles, while the cis-isomer prefers to remain in the solution. This implies that when under UV irradiation cis-isomers are being formed within the pores, they tend to diffuse out readily and generate an excess concentration near the colloid's outer surface, ultimately resulting in the initiation of diffusioosmotic flow. The direction of the flow depends strongly on the dynamic redistribution of the fraction of trans- and cis-isomers near the colloids due to different kinetics of photo-isomerization within the pores as compared to the bulk. The unique feature of the mechanism discussed in the paper is that the long-range mutual repulsion but also the attraction can be tuned by convenient external optical stimuli such as intensity so that a broad variety of experimental situations for manipulation of a particle ensemble can be realized. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0007556 SN - 0021-9606 SN - 1089-7690 VL - 152 IS - 19 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville, NY ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Arya, Pooja A1 - Feldmann, David A1 - Kopyshev, Alexey A1 - Lomadze, Nino A1 - Santer, Svetlana T1 - Light driven guided and self-organized motion of mesoporous colloidal particles JF - Soft matter N2 - We report on guided and self-organized motion of ensembles of mesoporous colloidal particles that can undergo dynamic aggregation or separation upon exposure to light. The forces on particles involve the phenomenon of light-driven diffusioosmosis (LDDO) and are hydrodynamic in nature. They can be made to act passively on the ensemble as a whole but also used to establish a mutual interaction between particles. The latter scenario requires a porous colloid morphology such that the particle can act as a source or sink of a photosensitive surfactant, which drives the LDDO process. The interplay between the two modes of operation leads to fascinating possibilities of dynamical organization and manipulation of colloidal ensembles adsorbed at solid-liquid interfaces. While the passive mode can be thought of to allow for a coarse structuring of a cloud of colloids, the inter-particle mode may be used to impose a fine structure on a 2D particle grid. Local flow is used to impose and tailor interparticle interactions allowing for much larger interaction distances that can be achieved with, e.g., DLVO type of forces, and is much more versatile. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9sm02068c SN - 1744-683X SN - 1744-6848 VL - 16 IS - 5 SP - 1148 EP - 1155 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feldmann, David A1 - Arya, Pooja A1 - Lomadze, Nino A1 - Kopyshev, Alexey A1 - Santer, Svetlana T1 - Light-driven motion of self-propelled porous Janus particles JF - Applied physics letters N2 - We introduce a versatile mechanism of light-driven self-propelled motion applied to porous Janus-type particles. The mechanism is based on the generation of local light-driven diffusio-osmotic (l-LDDO) flow around each single porous particle subjected to suitable irradiation conditions. The photosensitivity is introduced by a cationic azobenzene containing surfactant, which undergoes a photoisomerization reaction from a more hydrophobic trans-state to a rather hydrophilic cis-state under illumination with light. The negatively charged porous silica particles are dispersed in a corresponding aqueous solution and absorb molecules in their trans-state but expel them in their cis-state. During illumination with blue light triggering both trans-cis and cis-trans isomerization at the same time, the colloids start to move due to the generation of a steady-state diffusive flow of cis-isomers out of and trans-isomers into the particle. This is because a hemi-spherical metal cap partially sealing the colloid breaks the symmetry of the otherwise radially directed local flow around the particle, leading to self-propelled motion. Janus particles exhibit superdiffusive motion with a velocity of similar to 0.5 mu m/s and a persistence length of ca. 50 mu m, confined to microchannels the direction can be maintained up to 300 mu m before rotational diffusion reverts it. Particles forming dimers of different shapes can be made to travel along circular trajectories. The unique feature of this mechanism is that the strength of self-propulsion can be tuned by convenient external optical stimuli (intensity and irradiation wavelength) such that a broad variety of experimental situations can be realized in a spatiotemporal way and in situ. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5129238 SN - 0003-6951 SN - 1077-3118 VL - 115 IS - 26 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kopyshev, Alexey A1 - Galvin, Casey J. A1 - Patil, Rohan R. A1 - Genzer, Jan A1 - Lomadze, Nino A1 - Feldmann, David A1 - Zakrevski, Juri A1 - Santer, Svetlana T1 - Light-Induced Reversible Change of Roughness and Thickness of Photosensitive Polymer Brushes JF - Applied physics : A, Materials science & processing N2 - We investigate light-induced changes in thickness and roughness of photosensitive polymer brushes containing azobenzene cationic surfactants by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in real time during light irradiation. Because the cis-state of azobenzene unit requires more free volume than its trans counterpart, the UV light-induced expansion of polymer thin films associated with the trans-to-cis isomerism of azobenzene groups is expected to occur. This phenomenon is well documented in physisorbed polymer films containing azobenzene groups. In contrast, photosensitive polymer brushes show a decrease in thickness under UV irradiation. We have found that the azobenzene surfactants in their trans-state form aggregates within the brush. Under irradiation, the surfactants undergo photoisomerization to the cis-state, which is more hydrophilic. As a consequence, the aggregates within the brush are disrupted, and the polymer brush contracts. When subsequently irradiated with blue light the polymer brush thickness returns back to its initial value. This behavior is related to isomerization of the surfactant to the more hydrophobic trans-state and subsequent formation of surfactant aggregates within the polymer brush. The photomechanical function of the dry polymer brush, i.e., contraction and expansion, was found to be reversible with repeated irradiation cycles and requires only a few seconds for switching. In addition to the thickness change, the roughness of the brush also changes reversibly between a few Angstroms (blue light) and several nanometers (UV light). Photosensitive polymer brushes represent smart films with light responsive thickness and roughness that could be used for generating dynamic fluctuating surfaces, the function of which can be turned on and off in a controllable manner on a nanometer length scale. KW - photosensitive brushes KW - azobenzene containing surfactants KW - light driven reversible change of surface topography and thickness KW - domain memory in polymer brushes KW - orientation of azobenzenes in polymer brushes Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b06881 SN - 1944-8244 VL - 8 SP - 19175 EP - 19184 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feldmann, David A1 - Maduar, Salim R. A1 - Santer, Mark A1 - Lomadze, Nino A1 - Vinogradova, Olga I. A1 - Santer, Svetlana T1 - Manipulation of small particles at solid liquid interface: light driven diffusioosmosis JF - Scientific reports N2 - The strong adhesion of sub-micron sized particles to surfaces is a nuisance, both for removing contaminating colloids from surfaces and for conscious manipulation of particles to create and test novel micro/nano-scale assemblies. The obvious idea of using detergents to ease these processes suffers from a lack of control: the action of any conventional surface-modifying agent is immediate and global. With photosensitive azobenzene containing surfactants we overcome these limitations. Such photo-soaps contain optical switches (azobenzene molecules), which upon illumination with light of appropriate wavelength undergo reversible trans-cis photo-isomerization resulting in a subsequent change of the physico-chemical molecular properties. In this work we show that when a spatial gradient in the composition of trans-and cis-isomers is created near a solid-liquid interface, a substantial hydrodynamic flow can be initiated, the spatial extent of which can be set, e.g., by the shape of a laser spot. We propose the concept of light induced diffusioosmosis driving the flow, which can remove, gather or pattern a particle assembly at a solid-liquid interface. In other words, in addition to providing a soap we implement selectivity: particles are mobilized and moved at the time of illumination, and only across the illuminated area. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep36443 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 6 SP - 25083 EP - 25091 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kopyshev, Alexey A1 - Lomadze, Nino A1 - Feldmann, David A1 - Genzer, Jan A1 - Santer, Svetlana T1 - Making polymer brush photosensitive with azobenzene containing surfactants JF - Polymer : the international journal for the science and technology of polymers N2 - We report on rendering polyelectrolyte brushes photosensitive by loading them with azobenzene-containing cationic surfactants. Planar poly( methacrylic acid) (PMAA) brushes are synthesized using the "grafting from" free-radical polymerization scheme followed by exposure to a solution of photosensitive surfactants consisting of positively-charged head groups and hydrophobic tails into which azobenzene moieties are inserted. In this study the length of the hydrophobic methylene spacer connecting the azobenzene and the charged head group ranges from 4 to 10 CH2 groups. Under irradiation with UV light, the photo-isomerization of azobenzene integrated into a surfactant results in a change in size, geometry, dipole moment and free volume of the whole molecule. When the brush loaded with photosensitive surfactants is exposed to irradiation with UV interference patterns, the topography of the brush deforms following the distribution of the light intensity, exhibiting surface relief gratings (SRG). Since SRG formation is accompanied by a local rupturing of polymer chains in areas from which the polymer material is receding, most of the polymer material is removed from the surface during treatment with good solvent, leaving behind characteristic patterns of lines or dots. The azobenzene molecules still integrated within the polymer film can be removed by washing the brush with water. The remaining nano-structured brush can then be re-used for further functionalization. Although the opto-mechanically induced rupturing occurs for all surfactants, larger species do not penetrate deep enough into the brush such that after rupturing a leftover layer of polymer material remains on the substrate. This indicates that rupturing occurs predominantly in regions of high surfactant density. KW - Azobenzene containing cationic surfactants KW - Photosensitive polymer brushes KW - Opto-mechanically induced scission of KW - polymer chains Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2015.09.023 SN - 0032-3861 SN - 1873-2291 VL - 79 SP - 65 EP - 72 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feldmann, David A1 - Maduar, Salim R. A1 - Santer, Mark A1 - Lomadze, Nino A1 - Vinogradova, Olga I. A1 - Santer, Svetlana T1 - Manipulation of small particles at solid liquid interface BT - light driven diffusioosmosis JF - Scientific reports N2 - The strong adhesion of sub-micron sized particles to surfaces is a nuisance, both for removing contaminating colloids from surfaces and for conscious manipulation of particles to create and test novel micro/nano-scale assemblies. The obvious idea of using detergents to ease these processes suffers from a lack of control: the action of any conventional surface-modifying agent is immediate and global. With photosensitive azobenzene containing surfactants we overcome these limitations. Such photo-soaps contain optical switches (azobenzene molecules), which upon illumination with light of appropriate wavelength undergo reversible trans-cis photo-isomerization resulting in a subsequent change of the physico-chemical molecular properties. In this work we show that when a spatial gradient in the composition of trans- and cis- isomers is created near a solid-liquid interface, a substantial hydrodynamic flow can be initiated, the spatial extent of which can be set, e.g., by the shape of a laser spot. We propose the concept of light induced diffusioosmosis driving the flow, which can remove, gather or pattern a particle assembly at a solid-liquid interface. In other words, in addition to providing a soap we implement selectivity: particles are mobilized and moved at the time of illumination, and only across the illuminated area. KW - genomic DNA conformation KW - photosensitive surfactants KW - optical manipulation KW - photocontrol KW - azobenzene KW - films KW - gradients KW - transport KW - tracking KW - brushes Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep36443 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 6 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London ER -