Issue 17, 2024

Angle-resolved optical spectroscopy of photonic cellulose nanocrystal films reveals the influence of additives on the mechanism of kinetic arrest

Abstract

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are rod-like nanoparticles whose chiral self-assembly into photonic films has been promoted as a sustainable source of colouration. Upon drying, an aqueous CNC suspension passes through two regimes: first, a liquid phase, where the CNCs self-organise into a cholesteric liquid crystal, followed by a kinetically-arrested phase, where the helicoidal structure compresses upon loss of solvent, resulting in a solid film with vibrant structural colour. The transition between these two regimes plays an important role in the visual appearance of photonic CNC films, but details on when and how kinetic arrest occurs have remained elusive. In this work, we combine angle-resolved optical spectroscopy of photonic films (approx. 100 vol% CNC) with a model for compressed helicoidal structures to retrieve the suspension conditions during kinetic arrest (approx. 10 vol% CNC). This analysis indicates a shift in the mechanism of kinetic arrest from a glass transition at lower ionic strength to gelation at higher ionic strength, explaining the trends in domain size and film colour. In contrast, neutral additives (glucose, poly(ethylene glycol)) appear to primarily reduce the compression upon drying without affecting cholesteric behaviour, as supported by a general analytical model. These findings deepen our understanding of CNC co-assembly with various commonly-used additives, enabling better control over the production of multifunctional structurally coloured materials.

Graphical abstract: Angle-resolved optical spectroscopy of photonic cellulose nanocrystal films reveals the influence of additives on the mechanism of kinetic arrest

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 jan 2024
Accepted
03 apr 2024
First published
03 apr 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Soft Matter, 2024,20, 3695-3707

Angle-resolved optical spectroscopy of photonic cellulose nanocrystal films reveals the influence of additives on the mechanism of kinetic arrest

T. G. Parton, R. M. Parker, S. Osbild, S. Vignolini and B. Frka-Petesic, Soft Matter, 2024, 20, 3695 DOI: 10.1039/D4SM00155A

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