Light-Induced Structural Evolutions in Electrostatic Nanoassemblies.
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| Title: | Light-Induced Structural Evolutions in Electrostatic Nanoassemblies. |
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| Authors: | Agarwal, Mohit1,2 (AUTHOR), Schweins, Ralf2 (AUTHOR), Gröhn, Franziska1 (AUTHOR) franziska.groehn@fau.de |
| Source: | Polymers (20734360). Jan2026, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p190. 29p. |
| Subjects: | Photoisomerization, Molecular self-assembly, Polyamidoamine dendrimers, Structural dynamics, Radiation, Nanostructured materials, Azobenzene derivatives |
| Abstract: | Studying nanoscale self-assembly in real time using external stimuli unlocks new opportunities for dynamic and adaptive materials. While electrostatic self-assembly is well-established, real-time monitoring of its structural evolution under light irradiation remains largely unexploited. In this study, we employ light-responsive azobenzene dyes (Acid Yellow 38, AY38) and pH-sensitive polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers to investigate the kinetics of electrostatic self-assembly under UV irradiation. Using a custom in situ small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) setup, we track the real-time morphological transformations of self-assembled structures with sub-minute resolution. We introduce two distinct pathways: method A (pre-irradiated cis-AY38 for controlled, slow kinetics) and method B (direct UV-induced self-assembly, fast kinetics). The results reveal that trans-cis isomerization kinetics dictate the rate of self-assembly, influencing aggregate stability, ζ-potential evolution, and final morphology. Structural analysis using dynamic and static light scattering (DLS and SLS) and SANS elucidates a transition from spherical to ellipsoidal morphologies governed by electrostatic and dipole-dipole interactions. These findings establish photoisomerization-driven self-assembly as a robust mechanism for tunable nanoscale architectures, paving the way for adaptive photonic materials, targeted drug delivery, and reconfigurable nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Engineering Source |
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