Materials are usually classified as solids or liquids, based on their structural stability, dynamic response, and rheological properties. Structured liquid, a new state of matter, has attracted much attention in recent years. Different with either solid or liquid, structured liquid combines the desirable characteristics of fluids with the structural stability of a solid, showing a myriad of potential applications in encapsulation, biphasic reactors, and programmable liquid constructs. Here, a brief review is given, by introducing a new strategy to structure liquids based on the formation, assembly, and jamming of nanoparticle surfactants (NPSs) at liquid-liquid interfaces. The interfacial packing of the NPSs can be effectively manipulated using external triggers, endowing the structured liquids with adaptiveness and responsiveness to changes in their external environment.

Nanoparticle surfactants (NPSs) offer a powerful means to stabilize the oil‐water interface and construct all‐liquid devices with advanced functions. However, as the nanoparticle size decreases to molecular‐scale, the binding energy of the NPS to the interface reduces significantly, leading to a dynamic adsorption of NPS and “liquid‐like” state of the interfacial assemblies. Here, by using the host‐guest recognition between a water‐soluble small molecule, cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) and an oil‐soluble polymer ligand, methyl viologen‐terminated polystyrene, a supramolecular NPS model, termed CB[7] surfactant, is described. CB[7] surfactants form and assemble rapidly at the oil‐water interface, generating an elastic film with excellent mechanical properties. The binding energy of CB[7] surfactant to the interface is sufficiently high to hold it in a jammed state, transforming the interfacial assemblies from a “liquid‐like” to “solid‐like” state, enabling the structuring of liquids. With CB[7] surfactants as the emulsifier, O/W, W/O and O/W/O emulsions can be prepared in one step. Owing to the guest‐competitive responsiveness of CB[7] surfactants, the assembly/disassembly and jamming/unjamming of CB[7] surfactants can be well controlled, leading to the reconfiguration of all‐liquid constructs.

Charge transfer (CT) interactions have been widely used to construct supramolecular systems, such as functional nanostructures and gels. However, to date, there is no report on the generation of CT complexes at the liquid–liquid interface. Here, by using an electron‐deficient acceptor dissolved in water and an electron‐rich donor dissolved in oil, we present the in situ formation and assembly of CT complex surfactants (CTCSs) at the oil–water interface. With time, CTCSs can assemble into higher‐order nanofilms with exceptional mechanical properties, allowing the stabilization of liquids and offering the possibility to structure liquids into nonequilibrium shapes. Moreover, due to the redox‐responsiveness of the electron‐deficient acceptor, the association and dissociation of CTCSs can be reversibly manipulated in a redox process, leading to the switchable assembly and disassembly of the resultant constructs.

Using host-guest interactions between β-cyclodextrin-modified branched polyethyleneimine and ferrocene-terminated poly-L-lactide, the formation, assembly and jamming of polyethyleneimine surfactants (PEISs) at the liqud-liquid interface is presented. With PEIS, reconfigurable liquids with...

Charge transfer (CT) interactions have been widely used to construct supramolecular systems, such as functional nanostructures and gels. However, to date, there is no report on the generation of CT complexes at the liquid–liquid interface. Here, by using an electron‐deficient acceptor dissolved in water and an electron‐rich donor dissolved in oil, we present the in situ formation and assembly of CT complex surfactants (CTCSs) at the oil–water interface. With time, CTCSs can assemble into higher‐order nanofilms with exceptional mechanical properties, allowing the stabilization of liquids and offering the possibility to structure liquids into nonequilibrium shapes. Moreover, due to the redox‐responsiveness of the electron‐deficient acceptor, the association and dissociation of CTCSs can be reversibly manipulated in a redox process, leading to the switchable assembly and disassembly of the resultant constructs.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli are a dangerous bacterium known to be harmful to the human body, with some infections even resulting in death. Given this danger, food factories are required to perform a quick bacterial test to confirm the absence of this pathogen prior to shipping. We have developed a novel molecular imprinting polymer (MIP) particle that has encapsulated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and which can function as both a receptor and optical signal transmitter in biological systems. This MIP particle is artificially synthesized and can be engineered to specifically recognize and capture antigens on the bacterial cell membrane. In addition, MIP particles containing AuNPs generate strong scattered light signals and binding of the MIP particles improves the optical intensity of the target bacterial cells. This enables clear visualization under a darkfield microscope and quantification of the target bacteria using the scattering light intensity. Here we describe the successful quantification of Escherichia coli O157 cells in real meat samples using this technology in conjunction with a simple labelling step.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a widespread analytical biochemistry assay. In this work, a direct ELISA method using a metallic nanoparticle (NP)immobilized 96-well plate was developed for high-throughput, highly sensitive fluorescence analysis. Immobilization of metallic NPs on a 96-well plate effectively amplified fluorescence signals of the assay. The silver (Ag) NP-immobilized plate showed the best fluorescence enhancement effect of all the metal-immobilized plates tested. We used the Ag NP-immobilized plate to detect biomolecules and bacteria and found that both the fluorescence intensity and the limit of detection (LOD) were strongly enhanced by more than 100 times compared with those of the unmodified 96-well plates. Quantitative and qualitative considerations for target bacteria regarding the impact of autofluorescence on detection were successfully obtained for several strains. Our results demonstrate the potential of applying Ag NPs for enhancing the efficiency of direct and indirect ELISA assays.

In this reported work, we achieved high-throughput, highly sensitive fluorescent analysis using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that employed a metallic nanoparticle (NP)-immobilized 96-well plate. The immobilization of metallic NPs on a 96-well plate effectively amplified fluorescent signals of the assay. The silver (Ag) NP-immobilized plate showed the best fluorescent enhancement effect of all plates immobilized by metal NPs. Our results demonstrate the potential of applying Ag NPs to enhance the efficiency of direct and indirect ELISA by the labeling of targets.