Site-specific electrochemical deposition is used to prepare polystyrene (PS)-Ag Janus particle arrays with superhydrophobic properties. The analyte molecules can be significantly enriched using the superhydrophobic property of the PS-Ag Janus particle array before SERS detections, enabling an extremely sensitive detection of molecules in a highly diluted solution (e.g., femtomolar level). This ...

Highly monodisperse polystyrene/poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PS-PNIPMAM) core-shell composite microgels were synthesized and further nanoengineered in either ellipsoidal, faceted or bowl-shaped particles. Beside their anisotropy in shape, the microgel design enables an exquisite control of the particle conformation, size and interactions from swollen and hydrophilic to collapsed and hydroph...

We describe herein how to control the orientation of polymer nanowrinkles and nanofolds with large amplitudes. Nanowrinkles were created by chemically treating thermoplastic polystyrene sheets to form a thin skin layer and then heating the substrate to relieve strain. By manipulating the strain globally and locally in the skin layer, we could tune whether wrinkles or folds formed, as well as th...

Protein adsorption/desorption upon nanoparticle surfaces is an important process to understand for developing new nanotechnology involving biomaterials, while atomistic picture of the process and its coupling with protein conformational change is lacking. Here we report our study on the adsorption of protein GB1 upon a polystyrene nanoparticle surface using atomistic molecular dynamic simulatio...

The main purpose of this study was to select an appropriate photochromic dye and to develop a series of photochromic indicators showing ultraviolet (UV) degradation of selected background materials made from different polymers. The photochemistry of a series of photochromic compounds of oxazine and diarylethenes in thin polystyrene films were studied with spectroscopic methods. This paper also ...

We present a rapid and non-photolithographic approach to microfluidic pattern generation by leveraging the inherent shrinkage properties of biaxially oriented polystyrene thermoplastic sheets. This novel approach yields channels deep enough for mammalian cell assays, with demonstrated heights up to 80 microm. Moreover, we can consistently and easily achieve rounded channels, multi-height channe...

The synthesis and characterisation of a new, highly luminescent inorganic cluster complex, (Bu4N)2[Mo6I8(NO3)6], are described. The complex possesses labile nitrato ligands and is therefore a useful precursor for the design of new luminescent materials. To exemplify this, functionalised polystyrene beads have been utilised as "polymeric ligands" to immobilise the molybdenum cluster complex.