Ultrasound Switch and Thermal Self‐Repair of Morphology and Surface Wettability in a Cholesterol‐Based Self‐Assembly System

Abstract

Sound effects: The morphologies and surface properties of a cholesterol‐based assembly with two hydrogen‐bond sites per molecule can be controlled by ultrasound stimuli and restored by a thermal process. The cooperation competition of intra‐ and intermolecular hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions, regulated by sonication or thermal processes, are suggested to be the main contributions toward the self‐assembly (see schematic of gelation process and wettability tests).

The superhydrophobicity of polymer surfaces: Recent developments

“…142 An interesting variation is the use of ultrasound to switch cholesterol based gels. 143 Nadermann et al 144 recently showed a flat PDMS film on a pillared surface that could be collapsed over the pillars to generate a rough surface and inflated away from the base to generate a flat one. This continues earlier similar work 145 and shows simple micromechanical switching.…”

Controlled Self‐Assembly—Synthetic Tunability and Covalent Capture of Nanoscale Gel Morphologies

“…[7] Ultrasound has also been used to modify the morphology of self-assembled gels. [8] Shinkai and co-workers reported a gelator that could assemble into vesicles, with vesicle-vesicle interactions yielding an extended network, [9] a mode of gelation also recently reported by other researchers. [10] Cai and co-workers recently reported a peptidic foldamer which assembled into fibrillar gels in apolar solvents, but formed vesicles in hydrogen bonding solvents.…”

Bioinspired Peony‐Like β‐Ni(OH)2 Nanostructures with Enhanced Electrochemical Activity and Superhydrophobicity

“…Constructing superhydrophobic nanostructured surfaces inspired by mimicking the natural lotus leaf, has been the focus of nanomaterials applications in environmental protection. [32][33][34][35] Owing to the increasing interest in environmental protection, there is a increasing need for constructing novel materials with special functions such as separating organic contaminants or oil spills from water. [36] The contact angle (CA) is a quantitative measure of the wetting of a solid by a liquid.…”