Read the full article here: Adv. Sci. 2201867 (2022). Skarsetz, O., Slesarenko, V., Walther, A. Mechanical metamaterials recruit unique mechanical behavior that is unavailable in bulk materials from a periodic unit cell structure with a specific geometry. However, such metamaterials can typically not be reconfigured once manufactured. Herein, the authors introduce shape morphing of a hydrogel metamaterial via spatio-selective integration of responsive actuating elements to re

Read the full article here: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 61, e202201573 (2022). Sharma, C., Walther, A. Biological self-assemblies self- and cross-regulate each other via chemical reaction networks (CRNs) and feedback. Although artificial transient self-assemblies have been realized via activation/deactivation CRNs, the transient structures themselves do mostly not engage in the CRN. We introduce a rational design approach for chemo-structural feedback, and present a transient collo

Read the full article here: Chem. Soc. Rev. 51, 4023 (2022) Fan, X., Walther, A. Integrating nanoscale building blocks of low dimensionality (0D; i.e., spheres) into higher dimensional structures endows them and their corresponding materials with emergent properties non-existent or only weakly existent in the individual building blocks. Constructing 1D chains, 2D arrays and 3D superlattices using nanoparticles and colloids therefore continues to be one of the grand goals in c

Read the full article here: Biomacromolecules, 23, 1693 (2022). Aoki, D., Lossada, F., Hoenders, D., Ajiro, H., Walther, A. Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) have attracted attention as building blocks for sustainable materials owing to their high performance and the advantages of their abundant natural resources. Bioinspired CNF/polymer nanocomposites, consisting of a soft polymer phase and a high fraction (>50 wt %) of CNF reinforcement, have been focused on excellent mechanical

Read the full article here Small, 18, 2200688 (2022). Liu, J., Jiao, C., Hoenders, D., Lossada, F., Yu, W., Zhu, B., Walther, A., Zhang, Q. In spite of efforts to fabricate self-assembled energy storage nanopaper with potential applications in displays, greenhouses, and sensors, few studies have investigated their multiple stimuli-sensitivities. Here, an opto- and thermal-rewrite phase change material/cellulose nanofibril (PCM/CNF) energy storage nanopaper with mechanical reg