Light-Induced Structural Evolutions in Electrostatic Nanoassemblies.

ABSTRACT: Studying nanoscale self-assembly in real time using external stimuli unlocks new opportunities for dynamic and adaptive materials. While electrostatic self-assembly is well-established, real-time monitoring of its structural evolution under light irradiation remains largely unexploited. In this study, we employ light-responsive azobenzene dyes (Acid Yellow 38, AY38) and pH-sensitive polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers to investigate the kinetics of electrostatic self-assembly under UV irradiation. Using a custom in situ small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) setup, we track the real-time morphological transformations of self-assembled structures with sub-minute resolution. We introduce two distinct pathways: method A (pre-irradiated cis-AY38 for controlled, slow kinetics) and method B

SUBMITTER: Agarwal M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12845469 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature