Professor Joerg Lahann^1,2

¹⁾ Biointerfaces Institute, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
²⁾ Institute for Functional Interfaces, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany

Stimuli-responsive polymer materials enabled by compartmentalization

Multicompartmental particles can be designed to feature substantially dissimilar materials in proximate regions [1]. The ability to co-locate materials with orthogonal properties into the close proximity enables a broad design space for engineering of multifunctional particles [2-3]. If these polymers are appropriately selected to undergo distinct responses to environmental cues, such as pH, temperature, or solvent composition.

In this presentation, multicompartmental particles, fibers, and microcylinders with selective responses of individual compartments will be discussed. These anisotropic architectures can result in reversible switching, actuation, and even selective shape shifting. Using a biomimetic approach, we have designed actively responding microparticles that sense changes in their local chemical environment and respond in form of bending movement [4]. These microactuators are an example of responsive materials that are enabled by compartmentalization [5-6].

Selected References

1. J. Lahann, Recent Progress in Nano-biotechnology: Compartmentalized Micro- and Nanoparticles, Small 2011, 7, 9, 1149-1156.
2. S. Rahmani, S. Saha, H. Durmaz, A. Donini, A.C. Misra, J. Yoon, J. Lahann, Chemically Orthogonal Three-Patch Microparticles, Angewandte Chemie 2014, 52, 2332-2338.
3. K.-H. Roh, D.C. Martin, J. Lahann, Biphasic Janus Particles with Nanoscale Anisotropy. Nature Materials 2005, 4(10), 759-763.
4. K.J. Lee, J. Yoon, S. Rahmani, S. Hwang, S. Bhaskar, S. Mitragotri, J. Lahann, Spontaneous shape reconfigurations in multicompartmental microcylinders, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2012, 109, 16057–16062.
5. J. Yoon, T.W. Eyster, A.C. Misra, J. Lahann, Cardiomyocyte-driven Actuation in Biohybrid Microcylinders, Advanced Materials 2015, 27, 4509-4515.
6. E. Sokolovskaya, S. Rahmani, A. C Misra, S. Bräse, J. Lahann, Dual-Stimuli Responsive Microparticles, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 2015, 7, 9744-9751.

Host: Associate professor Menglin Chen, iNANO & Department of Engineering, Aarhus University