Harnessing Fluid Actuation and Liquid in Liquid Sculpting using Supramolecular Constructs

Abstract

newline Abstract newlineSupramolecular chemistry has been described as chemistry beyond the molecule as it newlineFocuses on designing and structuring functional chemical systems by assembling molecular newlineComponents through noncovalent interactions. Supramolecular constructs can be fabricated by newlineAppropriate manipulation of weak noncovalent intermolecular forces such as hydrogen newlineBonding, electrostatic interactions, van der waals forces, hydrophobic interactions, host-guest newlineInteractions, pi stacking as well as stronger dynamic covalent bonds. Owing to their unique newlineProperties, supramolecular constructs have a wide range of applications including drug newlineDelivery, sensing, catalysis, bioimaging, environmental remediation, fabrication of molecular newlineMachines and microscale devices etc. newlineOver the recent years, there has been significant interest to mimic complex natural newlineMotions in the synthetic realm. In pursuit of such smart systems, supramolecular constructs newlineProvide a promising tool. For fabrication of microscale devices with fluid actuation, there have newlineBeen several reports of micropumps which can work without an aid of external power source newlineIn response to external stimuli. A chemically powered pump can enable fluid actuation in newlinePresence of specific analytes based on the complementarity. Supramolecular micropumps newlineBased on host-guest interactions have been shown to devise powerless microfluidic devices newlineWhere fluid flow can be manipulated by modulating the noncovalent interactions. In such cases, newlineThe host molecule with aesthetic architecture of intramolecular cavity can noncovalently newlineInteract with the guest molecule and trigger fluid flow. Utilizing this concept, in first work newlineWe fabricated a non-mechanical, self-powered pillar[5]Arene multilayer film based micropump newlineTo establish flow-based detection of micropollutants. The host-guest interaction between newlinePillar[5]Arene and micropollutants turned on fluid flow inside the micropump chamber. We newlineAlso demonstrate the comparison of fluid pumping velocity of 2 model micropollutants newlineB