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Bielas R, Kubiak T, Molcan M, Dobosz B, Rajnak M, Józefczak A. Biocompatible Hydrogel-Based Liquid Marbles with Magnetosomes. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 17:99. [PMID: 38203953 PMCID: PMC10779466 DOI: 10.3390/ma17010099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Liquid marbles are widely known for their potential biomedical applications, especially due to their versatility and ease of preparation. In the present work, we prepared liquid marbles with various cores composed of water, agar-based hydrogels, magnetic fluids, or non-aqueous substances. As a coating material, we used biocompatible particles of plant origin, such as turmeric grains and Lycopodium pollen. Additionally, we provided marbles with magnetic properties by incorporating either magnetosomes or iron oxide nanoparticles as a powder or by injecting another magnetic fluid. Structures obtained in this way were stable and susceptible to manipulation by an external magnetic field. The properties of the magnetic components of our marbles were verified using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Our approach to encapsulation of active substances such as antibiotics within a protective hydrogel core opens up new perspectives for the delivery of hydrophobic payloads to the inherently hydrophilic biological environment. Additionally, hydrogel marbles enriched with magnetic materials showed promise as biocompatible heating agents under alternating magnetic fields. A significant innovation of our research was also the fabrication of composite structures in which the gel-like core was surrounded without mixing by a magnetic fluid covered on the outside by the particle shell. Our liquid marbles, especially those with a hydrogel core and magnetic content, due to the ease of preparation and favorable properties, have great potential for biomedical use. The fact that we were able to simultaneously produce, functionalize (by filling with predefined cargo), and manipulate (by means of an external magnetic field) several marbles also seems to be important from an application point of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Bielas
- Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, 61-614 Poznań, Poland;
| | - Tomasz Kubiak
- Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, 61-614 Poznań, Poland;
| | - Matus Molcan
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia; (M.M.); (M.R.)
| | - Bernadeta Dobosz
- Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, 61-614 Poznań, Poland;
| | - Michal Rajnak
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia; (M.M.); (M.R.)
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Arkadiusz Józefczak
- Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, 61-614 Poznań, Poland;
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Bak M, Mihály J, Gyulai G, Szalai I, Varga I, Mészáros R. Structuring liquids through solvent-assisted interfacial association of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and amphiphiles. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 650:1097-1104. [PMID: 37467638 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Sculpting liquids into different shapes is usually based on the interfacial interactions of functionalized nanoparticles or polymers with specific ligands, leading to exciting material properties due to the combination of the mobility of liquid components with the solid-like characteristic of the arrested liquid/liquid interface. There is an intense interest in novel structured liquids produced from simple compounds with versatile application potentials. Complexes of oppositely charged commercial polyelectrolytes and traditional aliphatic surfactants are good candidates for this goal since they reveal rich structural features and could adsorb at various interfaces. However, they have not been applied yet for structuring liquids. EXPERIMENTS The interfacial interactions and film formation between aqueous sodium poly(styrene) sulfonate solutions (NaPSS) and hexadecylamine (HDA) solutions in various alkanols were investigated by surface tension measurements and ATR-IR spectroscopy. 3D printing experiments also assessed the robustness of the formed films. FINDINGS Arrested fatty alcohol/water interfaces were formed due to the interfacial association of NaPSS, HDA, and alkanol molecules, which also act as cosurfactants in the surface region. These solid films enable the synthesis of temperature-sensitive all-in-liquid constructs and offer alternatives to bulk polyion/mixed surfactant assemblies prepared earlier through numerous synthesis steps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónika Bak
- Laboratory of Interfaces and Nanosized Systems, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, Hungary
| | - Judith Mihály
- Biological Nanochemistry Research Group, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, 1117 Budapest, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, Hungary
| | - Gergő Gyulai
- Laboratory of Interfaces and Nanosized Systems, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, Hungary
| | - István Szalai
- Laboratory of Interfaces and Nanosized Systems, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, Hungary
| | - Imre Varga
- Laboratory of Interfaces and Nanosized Systems, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, Hungary
| | - Róbert Mészáros
- Laboratory of Interfaces and Nanosized Systems, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, Hungary; Department of Chemistry, J. Selye University, 945 01 Komárno, Slovakia.
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Zhang Y, Yan S, Bai Z. Effect of salt addition on the coalescence process of droplets on fiber. Chem Eng Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2023.118628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
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Feng Y, Yao G, Xu J, Wang L, Liu G. Effect of surface roughness on the solar evaporation of liquid marbles. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 629:644-653. [PMID: 36182756 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.09.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Nanostructured materials are widely used for solar energy harvesting and conversion due to their excellent photothermal properties. It is generally accepted that the better the light absorption ability, the better the photothermal conversion efficiency. EXPERIMENT A series of experiments in solar evaporation of liquid marbles (LMs) by coating the droplets with Fe3O4, Ni nanoparticles (NPs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are conducted. FINDINGS Conversely, we found that the surface roughness of solar absorber plays a significant role in solar evaporation rather than the light absorption. The results disclose that the Fe3O4 NPs with the lowest absorptivity has the largest roughness on drop surface, while that of CNTs show the opposite properties. The evaporation dynamics of LMs are featured with dome or constant spherical collapse with different roughness. Such dynamic difference arises from the mechanical competition between the capillary force and interparticle interaction. Besides, the strong light-harvesting and near-field radiation enabled by the rough surfaces enhance the solar evaporation. The Fe3O4-LM shows the highest evaporation rate of 6.55 μg/s, which is 1.09 and 1.30 times larger than that of Ni-LM and CNT-LM, respectively. Numerical analysis reveals that the rough surface with stacking arrangement of NPs greatly enhances the light-induced electromagnetic field and heat concentration over the interface, leading to a plasmon-coupling boundary with high temperature for the fast evaporation. Uncovering these properties could be of much help for developments of heatable miniature evaporators or reactors and their counterparts, permitting a broad range of processes with precise temperature and kinetic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijun Feng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer for Low Grade Energy Utilization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, PR China
| | - Guansheng Yao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer for Low Grade Energy Utilization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, PR China
| | - Jinliang Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer for Low Grade Energy Utilization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, PR China
| | - Lin Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer for Low Grade Energy Utilization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, PR China
| | - Guohua Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer for Low Grade Energy Utilization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, PR China.
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Zhang Y, Cui H, Binks BP, Shum HC. Liquid Marbles under Electric Fields: New Capabilities for Non-wetting Droplet Manipulation and Beyond. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:9721-9740. [PMID: 35918302 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c01127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The study of liquid marbles (LMs) composed of stabilizing liquid droplets with solid particles in a gaseous environment has matured into an established area in surface and colloid science. The minimized "solid-liquid-air" triphase interface enables LMs to drastically reduce adhesion to a solid substrate, making them unique non-wetting droplets transportable with limited energy. The small volume, enclosed environment, and simple preparation render them suitable microreactors in industrial applications and processes such as cell culture, material synthesis, and blood coagulation. Extensive application contexts request precise and highly efficient manipulations of these non-wetting droplets. Many external fields, including magnetic, acoustic, photothermal, and pH, have emerged to prepare, deform, actuate, coalesce, mix, and disrupt these non-wetting droplets. Electric fields are rising among these external stimuli as an efficient source for manipulating the LMs with high controllability and a significant ability to contribute further to proposed applications. This Feature Article attempts to outline the recent developments related to LMs with the aid of electric fields. The effects of electric fields on the preparation and manipulation of LMs with intricate interfacial processes are discussed in detail. We highlight a wealth of novel electric field-involved LM-based applications and beyond while also envisaging the challenges, opportunities, and new directions for future development in this emerging research area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yage Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam 999077, Hong Kong, China
- Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Huanqing Cui
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bernard P Binks
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, United Kingdom
| | - Ho Cheung Shum
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam 999077, Hong Kong, China
- Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin 999077, Hong Kong, China
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Feng Y, Wang L, Xu J, Liu G. Effect of particle size on the stripping dynamics during impact of liquid marbles onto a liquid film. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:5230-5238. [PMID: 35771045 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00506a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The robust attachment of particles at fluid interfaces is favorable for engineering new materials due to the large capillary energy, but it meets significant challenges when particle removal is a requirement. A previous study has shown that soap films can be utilized to achieve particle separation from liquid marbles. Here, we investigate the effects of particle size on the particle separation from liquid marbles using fast dynamics of drop impact on a soap film. Experimental observations disclose that the fast dynamics of the liquid marble involves coalescence, bouncing, stripping, or tunneling through the film by controlling the falling height and drop volume. More importantly, the active regime of the stripping mode can be selective-controlled by tuning the particle size, and the smaller stabilizing particles make a wider stripping regime. This is attributed to the smaller change of the surface energy resulting from the larger surface tension of LMs wrapped by smaller particles. Theoretical analysis reveals that the stripping thresholds are determined by the energy competition between kinetic energy, the increased surface energy and viscous dissipation, which offers important insights into particle separation by tuning the particle size. The present study provides guidelines for applications that involve phase separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijun Feng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer for Low Grade Energy Utilization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, P. R. China.
| | - Lin Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer for Low Grade Energy Utilization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, P. R. China.
| | - Jinliang Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer for Low Grade Energy Utilization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, P. R. China.
| | - Guohua Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer for Low Grade Energy Utilization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, P. R. China.
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