The Buckling Spectra of Nanoparticle Surfactant Assemblies
Joe Forth, Andres Mariano, Yu Chai, Anju Toor, Jaffar Hasnain, Yufeng Jiang, Wenqian Feng, Xubo Liu, Phillip L. Geissler, Narayanan Menon, Brett A. Helms, Paul D. Ashby, Thomas P. Russell
Abstract
Fine control over the mechanical properties of thin sheets underpins transcytosis, cell shape, and morphogenesis. Applying these principles to artificial, liquid-based systems has led to reconfigurable materials for soft robotics, actuation, and chemical synthesis. However, progress is limited by a lack of synthetic two-dimensional membranes that exhibit tunable mechanical properties over a comparable range to that seen in nature. Here, we show that the bending modulus, B, of thin assemblies of nanoparticle surfactants (NPSs) at the oil–water interface can be varied continuously from sub-kBT to 106 kBT, by varying the ligands and particles that comprise the NPS. We find extensive departure from continuum behavior, including enormous mechanical anisotropy and a power law relation between B and the buckling spectrum width. Our findings provide a platform for shape-changing liquid devices and motivate new theories for the description of thin-film wrinkling.