Amphiphilic molecular assemblies worked by a chemical potential gradient with micro scale

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K15425
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 28050:Nano/micro-systems-related
• Research Institution: Osaka Prefecture University (2020-2021); Doshisha University (2019)
• Principal Investigator: Okita Erika 大阪府立大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (60803161)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: アクティブマター / ソフトマター / コロイド / ベシクル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

For the purpose of active transport of substances at the microscale, vesicles consisting of cationic surfactants soluble in acidic solutions and complexes of cationic surfactants and water droplets formed by the two-phase separation of two polymer solutions were prepared as transport carriers and their behaviors under pH gradients were observed. The vesicles deformed and the droplets translated with directionality along the pH gradient. These movements may be driven by the difference in interfacial tension before and after the carriers. A mathematical model of carrier motion was developed based on directionality, and it was found that increasing the intensity of movement of a carrier in one direction by about 10% reduced the arrival time of the object by a factor of 2-10 compared to a randomly moving carrier.

Free Research Field

ナノマイクロシステム

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ミクロな物体の周囲に生じた化学的性質の揺らぎ（濃度勾配など）によって引き起こされる物体の指向的な変形や移動による物質の能動的輸送を実現するために必要な知見として、輸送キャリアの普遍的な物理化学的特徴や作製のための方法論の獲得につながった。このような研究は今後、生体内などのミクロなスケールにおける物質の送達や回収を目的とした研究につながると考えられる。