CO₂ -Reactive Ionic Liquid Surfactants for the Control of Colloidal Morphology

Journal Article · Wed Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Langmuir

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b00679· OSTI ID:1399973

Brown, Paul  ^[1]; Sresht, Vishnu ^[1]; Eral, Burak H. ^[1]; Fiore, Andrew ^[1]; de la Fuente-Núñez, César ^[2]; O’Mahony, Marcus ^[1]; Mendes, Gabriel P. ^[1]; Heller, William T.  ^[3]; Doyle, Patrick S.  ^[1]; Blankschtein, Daniel  ^[1]; Hatton, T. Alan  ^[1]

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1. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States). Department of Chemical Engineering
2. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States). Synthetic Biology Group, MIT Synthetic Biology Center, Research Laboratory of Electronics, Department of Biological Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA (United States); Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States). Harvard Biophysics Program
3. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Biology and Soft Matter Division

Here, this article reports on a new class of stimuli-responsive surfactant generated from commercially available amphiphiles such as dodecyltrimethylammmonium bromide (DTAB) by substitution of the halide counterion with counterions such as 2-cyanopyrrolide, 1,2,3-triazolide, and L-proline that complex reversibly with CO₂. Through a combination of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), electrical conductivity measurements, thermal gravimetric analysis, and molecular dynamics simulations, we show how small changes in charge reorganization and counterion shape and size induced by complexation with CO₂ allow for fine-tunability of surfactant properties. Additionally, we then use these findings to demonstrate a range of potential practical uses, from manipulating microemulsion droplet morphology to controlling micellar and vesicular aggregation. In particular, we focus on the binding of these surfactants to DNA and the reversible compaction of surfactant–DNA complexes upon alternate bubbling of the solution with CO₂ and N₂.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1399973
• Journal Information: Langmuir, Vol. 33, Issue 31; ISSN 0743-7463
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Surfactants
CO2-responsive
DNA compaction
MD simulations
Ionic Liquids