Electric Field Assisted Self-Assembly of Viruses into Colored Thin Films.

ABSTRACT: Filamentous viruses called M13 bacteriophages are promising materials for devices with thin film coatings because phages are functionalizable, and they can self-assemble into smectic helicoidal nanofilament structures. However, the existing "pulling" approach to align the nanofilaments is slow and limits potential commercialization of this technology. This study uses an applied electric field to rapidly align the nanostructures in a fixed droplet. The electric field reduces pinning of the three-phase contact line, allowing it to recede at a constant rate. Atomic force microscopy reveals that the resulting aligned structures resemble those produced via the pulling method. The field-assisted alignment results in concentric color bands quantified with image analysis of red, green, and blue li

SUBMITTER: Tronolone JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6781059 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature