Ion transport through reconfigurable nanoparticle-surfactant stabilized droplet interface bilayers

ORAL

Abstract

Despite their adaptability and mechanical stability, Pickering emulsions based on the interfacial assembly of colloidal particles have not found use in iontronics, since the dense interfacial packing of micron-sized particles precludes functional connectivity between two droplets. Here, we introduce a chemically reconfigurable droplet interface bilayer (DIB) platform based on the interfacial assembly of nanoparticle-surfactants (NPSs) that enables spontaneous or field-induced formation of ion-conducting nanochannels, eliminating the need of ionophores or nanochannel-forming proteins. These nanoscopic channels emerge from packing defects in the jammed interfacial assemblies of the charged NPSs and support size and charge selective, hysteretic ion transport governed by interfacial electrostatics and dimensional constraints. The NPS-DIBs show short-term and long-term plasticity, hallmarks of neuromorphic behavior, that are mediated by the structural and chemical design of the bilayer. These assemblies establish a versatile, chemically tunable platform that couples soft-matter mechanics with interfacial ionic functionality, offering a robust foundation for soft iontronic systems.

*This work was primarily supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division under Contract No. DE-AC02-05-CH11231 within the Adaptive Interfacial Assemblies Towards Structuring Liquids program (KCTR16). Experiments were performed on beamline 7.3.3 of the Advanced Light Source, which is supported by the Director of the Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract no. DE-AC02-05CH11231. Work at the Molecular Foundry was supported by the Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. J.K. and C.P.C. were supported through the Scientific User Facilities Division of the Department of Energy (DOE)under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725at thef Oak Ridge National Laboratory

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Publication: Ion transport through reconfigurable nanoparticle-surfactant stabilized droplet interface bilayers, PNAS, submitted

Presenters

  • Thomas P. Russell

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst
    • University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Authors

  • Thomas P. Russell

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst
    • University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Xuefei Wu

    • LBNL

  • Han Xue

    • LBNL

  • Zachary Fink

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • Zhiqin Xia

    • Materials Science Division; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

  • Nivedina SHarma

    • UC Berkeley

  • Xuchen Gan

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • John Katsaras

    • University of Tennessee

  • Peter Ercius

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Molecular Foundry, LBNL

  • Behzad Rad

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Molecular Foundry, LBNL

  • Brett A Helms

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Paul D Ashby

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Molecular Foundry

  • Ahmad K Omar

    • University of California, Berkeley
    • University of California, Berkeley; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Charles P Collier

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory