TY - JOUR
T1 - Optothermally Reversible Carbon Nanotube–DNA Supramolecular Hybrid Hydrogels
AU - Mansukhani, Nikhita D.
AU - Guiney, Linda M.
AU - Wei, Zonghui
AU - Roth, Eric W.
AU - Putz, Karl W.
AU - Luijten, Erik
AU - Hersam, Mark C.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency under Cooperative Agreement No. DBI-1266377, and the U.S. Public Health Service Grant No. NIEHS RO1 ES022698. Z.W. and E.L. were also supported by NSF DMR-1610796. The experimental effort made use of the EPIC facility of the NUANCE Center at Northwestern University, which received support from the NSF Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Resource (NNCI-1542205); the NSF MRSEC program (DMR-1121262); the International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN); the Keck Foundation; and the State of Illinois. The authors thank Shay Wallace for photography and Ming Han for providing improved LAMMPS functions to perform dynamic bonding. The authors also acknowledge the Quest high-performance computing facility at Northwestern University for computational resources.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
PY - 2018/1
Y1 - 2018/1
N2 - Supramolecular hydrogels (SMHs) are three-dimensional constructs wherein the majority of the volume is occupied by water. Since the bonding forces between the components of SMHs are noncovalent, SMH properties are often tunable, stimuli-responsive, and reversible, which enables applications including triggered drug release, sensing, and tissue engineering. Meanwhile, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) possess superlative electrical and thermal conductivities, high mechanical strength, and strong optical absorption at near-infrared wavelengths that have the potential to add unique functionality to SMHs. However, SWCNT-based SMHs have thus far not realized the potential of the optical properties of SWCNTs to enable reversible response to near-infrared irradiation. Here, we present a novel SMH architecture comprised solely of DNA and SWCNTs, wherein noncovalent interactions provide structural integrity without compromising the intrinsic properties of SWCNTs. The mechanical properties of these SMHs are readily tuned by varying the relative concentrations of DNA and SWCNTs, which varies the cross-linking density as shown by molecular dynamics simulations. Moreover, the SMH gelation transition is fully reversible and can be triggered by a change in temperature or near-infrared irradiation. This work explores a new regime for SMHs with potential utility for a range of applications including sensors, actuators, responsive substrates, and 3D printing.
AB - Supramolecular hydrogels (SMHs) are three-dimensional constructs wherein the majority of the volume is occupied by water. Since the bonding forces between the components of SMHs are noncovalent, SMH properties are often tunable, stimuli-responsive, and reversible, which enables applications including triggered drug release, sensing, and tissue engineering. Meanwhile, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) possess superlative electrical and thermal conductivities, high mechanical strength, and strong optical absorption at near-infrared wavelengths that have the potential to add unique functionality to SMHs. However, SWCNT-based SMHs have thus far not realized the potential of the optical properties of SWCNTs to enable reversible response to near-infrared irradiation. Here, we present a novel SMH architecture comprised solely of DNA and SWCNTs, wherein noncovalent interactions provide structural integrity without compromising the intrinsic properties of SWCNTs. The mechanical properties of these SMHs are readily tuned by varying the relative concentrations of DNA and SWCNTs, which varies the cross-linking density as shown by molecular dynamics simulations. Moreover, the SMH gelation transition is fully reversible and can be triggered by a change in temperature or near-infrared irradiation. This work explores a new regime for SMHs with potential utility for a range of applications including sensors, actuators, responsive substrates, and 3D printing.
KW - DNA
KW - carbon nanotubes
KW - near-infrared
KW - optothermally reversible
KW - supramolecular hydrogels
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U2 - 10.1002/marc.201700587
DO - 10.1002/marc.201700587
M3 - Article
C2 - 29065239
AN - SCOPUS:85040768130
VL - 39
JO - Macromolecular Rapid Communications
JF - Macromolecular Rapid Communications
SN - 1022-1336
IS - 2
M1 - 1700587
ER -