Get the full paper here: J. Phys. Chem. B. 119, 15275 (2015). Block copolymers of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) and poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (POEGMA) with varying block sizes were synthesized by consecutive reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and then exposed to cellulose substrates with different anionic charge density. The extent and dynamics of quaternized PDMAEMA-b-POEGMA adsorption on

Get the full paper here: Adv. Mater. 27, 2989 (2015). A sacrificial templating process using lithographically printed minimal surface structures allows complex de novo geo­metries of delicate hydrogel materials. The hydrogel scaffolds based on cellulose and chitin nanofibrils show differences in terms of attachment of human mesenchymal stem cells, and allow their differentiation into osteogenic outcomes. The approach here serves as a first example toward designer hydrogel sca

Get the full paper here: ACS Nano, 9, 10637 (2015). Natural high-performance materials inspire the pursuit of ordered hard/soft nanocomposite structures at high fractions of reinforcements and with balanced molecular interactions. Herein, we develop a facile, waterborne self-assembly pathway to mimic the multiscale cuticle structure of the crustacean armor by combining hard reinforcing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with soft poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). We show iridescent CNC n

Get the full paper here: Soft Matter, 11, 7857 (2015). Self-regulating reconfigurable soft matter systems are of great interest for creating adaptive and active material properties. Such complex functionalities emerge from non-linear and interactive behavior in space and time as demonstrated by a plethora of dynamic, self-organizing biological structures (e.g., the cytoskeleton). In man-made self-assemblies, patterning of the spatial domain has advanced to creating hierarchic

Get the full paper here: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed, 54, 13258 (2015). Switchable self-assemblies respond to external stimuli with a transition between near-equilibrium states. Although being a key to present-day advanced materials, these systems respond rather passively, and do not display autonomous dynamics. For autonomous behavior, approaches must be found to orchestrate the time domain of self-assemblies, which would lead to new generations of dynamic and self-regulating mater

Get the full article here: Soft Matter, 11, 8342 (2015). Microgels with internal and reconfigurable complex nanostructure are emerging as possible adaptive particles, yet they remain challenging to design synthetically. Here, we report the synthesis of highly charged poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) microgels incorporating permanent (poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)) and switchable hydrophobic pockets (poly(N,N′-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDEAEMA)) via emulsion polymerizat

Get the full paper here: ACS Appl. Mat. Inter. 7, 15681 (2015) We demonstrate electrically and ionically conducting nacre-mimetic nanocomposites prepared using self-assembly of synthetic nanoclay in combination with PEDOT:PSS and a poly(ionic liquid) polymer from aqueous dispersions. The resulting nacre-mimetics show high degrees of mesoscale order and combine high stiffness and high strength. In terms of conductivities, the resulting hybrids exceed simple additive behavior a

Get the full article here: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 54, 8653 (2015). Designing the reversible interactions of biopolymers remains a grand challenge for an integral mimicry of mechanically superior biological composites. Yet, they are the key to synergistic combinations of stiffness and toughness by providing sacrificial bonds with hidden length scales. To address this challenge, dynamic polymers were designed with low glass-transition temperature Tgand bonded by quadruple hydrog

Get the full paper here: Small, 11, 4540 (2015). (Highlighted in SCIENCE; 349, 393, 2015). Patchy particles are next generation colloidal building blocks for self-assembly and find further use as (bio) sensors. Progress in this direction crucially depends on developing straightforward preparation pathways able to provide patchy particles with highest uniformity and integrating precise, orthogonal, and spatially localized functionalizations to mediate interaction patterns. Thi

Get the full article here: Polymer, 79, 299 (2015). We report a versatile large-scale synthesis strategy for hybrid Janus nanoparticles with a silica core and a unilaterally attached polymer corona in a size range below 100 nm. The stimuli-responsive behavior of these nanoparticles with a poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) hemicorona is investigated. The synthesis is based on a modified version of the Pickering emulsion polymerization technique in combination