Fabrication of Soft Photonic Crystals for Novel Functions
Co-Investigator: Takayuki Nonoyama (Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University, Assistant Professor)
Research Outline
Polymer hydrogels, containing large amount of water in the polymer network, possess many unique functionalities such as high permeability, stimuli-responsivity, biocompatibility, and low friction. Hydrogels are highly expected as functional materials for potential application. However, due to the amorphous structure of polymer network, the hydrogels have quite limited functions. In this research, our aim is to develop high functional hydrogels by introducing periodic structure and/or ordered structure, of several decades- to hundred-nanometer scale, to hydrogels based on the concept of soft crystals. Our strategy to develop such hydrogels is using shear force-aided molecular orientation method and bio-template method. We intend to develop soft & active tough photonic materials, which change structural color triggered by small stimuli (finger compression, temperature, pH, affinity with solvent). Moreover, we intend to apply the developed materials with photonic and anisotropic properties for next-generation optical sensors, novel color displays and zero-order long-term drug release systems based on anisotropic one dimensional diffusion.
Representative Achievements
- Decoupling Dual-Stimuli Responses in Patterned Lamellar Hydrogels as Photonic Sensors,
Y. Yue, X. Li, T. Kurokawa, M. A. Haque, J. P. Gong., J. Mater. Chem. B, 4, 4104–4109 (2016). - Polymer Adsorbed Bilayer Membranes Form Self-Healing Hydrogels with Tunable Superstructure, X. F. Li, T. Kurokawa, R. Takahashi, M. A. Haque, Y. F. Yue, T. Nakajima, J. P. Gong. Macromolecules, 48, 2277–2282 (2015).
- Quasi-unidirectional shrinkage of gels with well-oriented lipid bilayers upon uniaxial stretching, T. Nakajima, C. Durand, X. F. Li, M. A. Haque, T. Kurokawa, J. P. Gong. Soft Matter, 11, 237–240 (2015).
- Mechano-actuated ultrafast full-colour switching in layered photonic hydrogels, Y. F. Yue, T. Kurokawa, M. A. Haque, T. Nakajima, T. Nonoyama, X. F. Li, I. Kajiwara, J. P. Gong. Nature Commun., 5, 1–8 (2014).
- Lamellar Hydrogels with High Toughness and Ternary Tunable Photonic Stop-Band, Y. F. Yue, M. A. Haque, T. Kurokawa, T. Nakajima, J. P. Gong, Adv. Mater., 25, 3106–3110 (2013).