| 1. |
Yifan Ning, Zhe Liu, Shengsong Yang, Yuma Morimitsu, Chinedum O. Osuji, Christopher B. Murray, Design of Dendritic Promesogenic Ligands for Liquid Crystal- Nanoparticle Hybrid Systems, CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS, 10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c00057, 35, 9, 3532-3544, 2023.05, Liquid crystal-nanoparticle (LC-NP) hybrid systems allow synergistic interactions between LC matrixes with anisotropic alignment and NP dopants with versatile functionalities. A uniform, well-dispersed, and highly stable thermotropic LC-NP mixture paves the way for further applications. In this work, a linear promesogenic ligand and two types of dendritic promesogenic ligands with alkyl or oligo ethylene glycol (OEG) chains are designed and synthesized to facilitate incorporating NPs into the thermotropic 4-cyano-4 '-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) LC matrix. A comparison study between the linear and the dendritic ligands on the capability to promote miscibility and stability of NPs in LCs is conducted. Miscibility test results show that the linear ligand and the OEG-chained dendrimer both perform well in uniformly dispersing NPs in LCs. Dynamic assemblies of NPs assisted by dendritic ligands and driven by aligning and equilibrating of mesogens are captured, showing the potential of manipulating the assembly of NPs through external thermal stimuli. The stability test shows that both types of dendrimers can significantly enhance the shelf-life time and thermal stability of NPs compared to the linear ligand. In particular, Au NPs capped with OEG-chained dendrimers are stable in 5CB for 6 months at room temperature and over 10 h at 50 degrees C. The synthesis of dendritic ligands is highly modulated and can be generalized onto NPs with different dimensions and properties. Tied by the dendritic promesogenic ligands, this LC-NP hybrid system with good uniformity and stability could be further applied to tunable optical displays, responsive materials, etc.. |
| 2. |
YUMA MORIMITSU, HISAO MATSUNO, YUKARI ODA, SATORU YAMAMOTO, AND KEIJI TANAKA, Direct visualization of cooperative adsorption of a string-like molecule onto a solid, Science Advances, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn6349, 8, 41, abn6349, 2022.10.  |
| 3. |
Jungwook Paek, Joseph W. Song, Ehsan Ban, Yuma Morimitsu, Chinedum O. Osuji, Vivek B. Shenoy, Dan Dongeun Huh, Soft robotic constrictor for in vitro modeling of dynamic tissue compression, Scientific Reports, 10.1038/s41598-021-94769-2, 11, 1, 2021.12, Abstract Here we present a microengineered soft-robotic in vitro platform developed by integrating a pneumatically regulated novel elastomeric actuator with primary culture of human cells. This system is capable of generating dynamic bending motion akin to the constriction of tubular organs that can exert controlled compressive forces on cultured living cells. Using this platform, we demonstrate cyclic compression of primary human endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells to show physiological changes in their morphology due to applied forces. Moreover, we present mechanically actuatable organotypic models to examine the effects of compressive forces on three-dimensional multicellular constructs designed to emulate complex tissues such as solid tumors and vascular networks. Our work provides a preliminary demonstration of how soft-robotics technology can be leveraged for in vitro modeling of complex physiological tissue microenvironment, and may enable the development of new research tools for mechanobiology and related areas. . |
| 4. |
Yukari Oda, Daisuke Kawaguchi, Yuma Morimitsu, Satoru Yamamoto, Keiji Tanaka, Direct observation of morphological transition for an adsorbed single polymer chain, Scientific Reports, 10.1038/s41598-020-77761-0, 10, 1, 2020.12, Abstract A better understanding of the structure of polymers at solid interfaces is crucial for designing various polymer nano-composite materials from structural materials to nanomaterials for use in industry. To this end, the first step is to obtain information on how synthetic polymer chains adsorb onto a solid surface. We closely followed the trajectory of a single polymer chain on the surface as a function of temperature using atomic force microscopy. Combining the results with a full-atomistic molecular dynamics simulation revealed that the chain became more rigid on the way to reaching a pseudo-equilibrium state, accompanied by a change in its local conformation from mainly loops to trains. This information will be useful for regulating the physical properties of polymers at the interface. . |
| 5. |
Yuma Morimitsu, Hisao Matsuno, Noboru Ohta, Hiroshi Sekiguchi, Atsushi Takahara, Keiji Tanaka, Mechanical Stabilization of Deoxyribonucleic Acid Solid Films Based on Hydrated Ionic Liquid, Biomacromolecules, 10.1021/acs.biomac.9b01207, 21, 2, 464-471, 2020.02. |
| 6. |
Maya K. Endoh, Yuma Morimitsu, Daniel Salatto, Zhixing Huang, Mani Sen, Weiyi Li, Yizhi Meng, David G. Thanassi, Jan-Michael Y. Carrillo, Bobby G. Sumpter, Daisuke Kawaguchi, Keiji Tanaka, Tadanori Koga, Protein Resistance Driven by Polymer Nanoarchitecture, ACS Macro Letters, 10.1021/acsmacrolett.9b00518, 8, 9, 1153-1159, 2019.09. |
| 7. |
Yuma Morimitsu, Daniel Salatto, Naisheng Jiang, Mani Sen, Shotaro Nishitsuji, Benjamin M. Yavitt, Maya K. Endoh, Ashwanth Subramanian, Chang-Yong Nam, Ruipeng Li, Masafumi Fukuto, Yugang Zhang, Lutz Wiegart, Andrei Fluerasu, Keiji Tanaka, Tadanori Koga, “Structurally Neutral” Densely Packed Homopolymer-Adsorbed Chains for Directed Self-Assembly of Block Copolymer Thin Films, Macromolecules, 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b00597, 52, 14, 5157-5167, 2019.07. |
| 8. |
Naisheng Jiang, Mani Sen, Wenduo Zeng, Zhizhao Chen, Justin M. Cheung, Yuma Morimitsu, Maya K. Endoh, Tadanori Koga, Masafumi Fukuto, Guangcui Yuan, Sushil K. Satija, Jan-Michael Y. Carrillo, Bobby G. Sumpter, Structure-induced switching of interpolymer adhesion at a solid–polymer melt interface, Soft Matter, 10.1039/c7sm02279d, 14, 7, 1108-1119, 2018.01, We demonstrate the mechanism of “molecular welding” at the polymer–solid interface. . |
| 9. |
Yuma Morimitsu, Hisao Matsuno, Noboru Ohta, Hiroshi Sekiguchi, Keiji Tanaka, Direct Correlation between Molecular Cross-linking and Macroscopic Mechanical Properties for Green Solids of Deoxyribonucleic Acids, ChemNanoMat, 10.1002/cnma.201600222, 2, 11, 1023-1027, 2016.11. |
| 10. |
Chien-Chung Shih, Cheng-Yu Chung, Jeun-Yan Lam, Hung-Chin Wu, Yuma Morimitsu, Hisao Matsuno, Keiji Tanaka, Wen-Chang Chen, Transparent deoxyribonucleic acid substrate with high mechanical strength for flexible and biocompatible organic resistive memory devices, Chemical Communications, 10.1039/c6cc07648c, 52, 92, 13463-13466, 2016.10, Biocompatible deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), with high mechanical strength, was employed as the substrate for a Ag nanowire (Ag NW) pattern and then used to fabricate flexible resistor-type memory devices. . |
