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Guardià J, Reina JA, Giamberini M, Montané X. An Up-to-Date Overview of Liquid Crystals and Liquid Crystal Polymers for Different Applications: A Review. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:2293. [PMID: 39204513 PMCID: PMC11359798 DOI: 10.3390/polym16162293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2024] [Revised: 07/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Liquid crystals have been extensively used in various applications, such as optoelectronic devices, biomedical applications, sensors and biosensors, and packaging, among others. Liquid crystal polymers are one type of liquid crystal material, combining their intrinsic properties with polymeric flexibility for advanced applications in displays and smart materials. For instance, liquid crystal polymers can serve as drug nanocarriers, forming cubic or hexagonal mesophases, which can be tailored for controlled drug release. Further applications of liquid crystals and liquid crystal polymers include the preparation of membranes for separation processes, such as wastewater treatment. Furthermore, these materials can be used as ion-conducting membranes for fuel cells or lithium batteries due to their broad types of mesophases. This review aims to provide an overall explanation and classification of liquid crystals and liquid crystal polymers. Furthermore, the great potential of these materials relies on their broad range of applications, which are determined by their unique properties. Moreover, this study provides the latest advances in liquid crystal polymer-based membranes and their applications, focusing especially on fuel cells. Moreover, future directions in the applications of various liquid crystals are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Guardià
- Department of Analytical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, C/Marcel·lí Domingo 1, 43007 Tarragona, Spain; (J.G.); (J.A.R.)
| | - José Antonio Reina
- Department of Analytical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, C/Marcel·lí Domingo 1, 43007 Tarragona, Spain; (J.G.); (J.A.R.)
| | - Marta Giamberini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain;
| | - Xavier Montané
- Department of Analytical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, C/Marcel·lí Domingo 1, 43007 Tarragona, Spain; (J.G.); (J.A.R.)
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Maiti S, Roh S, Cohen I, Abbott NL. Non-equilibrium ordering of liquid crystalline (LC) films driven by external gradients in surfactant concentration. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 637:134-146. [PMID: 36696789 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.12.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Gradients in the concentration of amphiphiles play an important role in many non-equilibrium processes involving complex fluids. Here we explore if non-equilibrium interfacial behaviors of thermotropic (oily) liquid crystals (LCs) can amplify microscopic gradients in surfactant concentration into macroscopic optical signals. EXPERIMENTS We use a milli-fluidic system to generate gradients in aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) concentration and optically quantify the dynamic ordering of micrometer-thick nematic LC films that contact the gradients. FINDINGS We find that the reordering of the LCs is dominated by interfacial shearing by Marangoni flows, thus providing simple methods for rapid mapping of interfacial velocities from a single optical image and investigating the effects of confinement of surfactant-driven interfacial flows. Additionally, we establish that surface advection and surfactant desorption are the two key processes that regulate the interfacial flows, revealing that the dynamic response of the LC can provide rapid and potentially high throughput approaches to measurement of non-equilibrium interfacial properties of amphiphiles. We also observe flow-induced assemblies of microparticles to form at the LC interface, hinting at new non-equilibrium approaches to microparticle assembly. We conclude that dynamic states adopted by LCs in the presence of surfactant concentration gradients provide new opportunities for engineering complex fluids beyond equilibrium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumita Maiti
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - Sangchul Roh
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - Itai Cohen
- Laboratory of Atomic and Solid-State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - Nicholas L Abbott
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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3
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Kim WS, Im JH, Kim H, Choi JK, Choi Y, Kim YK. Liquid Crystalline Systems from Nature and Interaction of Living Organisms with Liquid Crystals. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2204275. [PMID: 35861641 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202204275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Biomaterials, which are substances interacting with biological systems, have been extensively explored to understand living organisms and obtain scientific inspiration (such as biomimetics). However, many aspects of biomaterials have yet to be fully understood. Because liquid crystalline phases are ubiquitously found in biomaterials (e.g., cholesterol, amphiphile, DNA, cellulose, bacteria), therefore, a wide range of research has made attempts to approach unresolved issues with the concept of liquid crystals (LCs). This review presents these studies that address the interactive correlation between biomaterials and LCs. Specifically, intrinsic LC behavior of various biomaterials such as DNA, cellulose nanocrystals, and bacteriaare first introduced. Second, the dynamics of bacteria in LC media are addressed, with focus on how bacteria interact with LCs, and how dynamics of bacteria can be controlled by exploiting the characteristics of LCs. Lastly, how the strong correlation between LCs and biomaterials has been leveraged to design a new class of biosensors with additional functionalities (e.g., self-regulated drug release) that are not available in previous systems is reviewed. Examples addressed in this review convey the message that the intersection between biomaterials and LCs offers deep insights into fundamental understanding of biomaterials, and provides resources for development of transformative technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Won-Sik Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun-Hyung Im
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyein Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Kang Choi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Yena Choi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Ki Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea
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4
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Abstract
Smart soft materials are envisioned to be the building blocks of the next generation of advanced devices and digitally augmented technologies. In this context, liquid crystals (LCs) owing to their responsive and adaptive attributes could serve as promising smart soft materials. LCs played a critical role in revolutionizing the information display industry in the 20th century. However, in the turn of the 21st century, numerous beyond-display applications of LCs have been demonstrated, which elegantly exploit their controllable stimuli-responsive and adaptive characteristics. For these applications, new LC materials have been rationally designed and developed. In this Review, we present the recent developments in light driven chiral LCs, i.e., cholesteric and blue phases, LC based smart windows that control the entrance of heat and light from outdoor to the interior of buildings and built environments depending on the weather conditions, LC elastomers for bioinspired, biological, and actuator applications, LC based biosensors for detection of proteins, nucleic acids, and viruses, LC based porous membranes for the separation of ions, molecules, and microbes, living LCs, and LCs under macro- and nanoscopic confinement. The Review concludes with a summary and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for LCs as smart soft materials. This Review is anticipated to stimulate eclectic ideas toward the implementation of the nature's delicate phase of matter in future generations of smart and augmented devices and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hari Krishna Bisoyi
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - Quan Li
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States.,Institute of Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Jiangsu Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
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Khan M, Liu S, Qi L, Ma C, Munir S, Yu L, Hu Q. Liquid crystal-based sensors for the detection of biomarkers at the aqueous/LC interface. Trends Analyt Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2021.116434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Roh S, Tsuei M, Abbott NL. Using Liquid Crystals for In Situ Optical Mapping of Interfacial Mobility and Surfactant Concentrations at Flowing Aqueous-Oil Interfaces. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:5810-5822. [PMID: 33950693 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c00133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Flow-induced states of fluid interfaces decorated with amphiphiles underlie phenomena such as emulsification, foaming, and spreading. While past studies have shown that interfacial mass transfer, the kinetics of surfactant adsorption and desorption, interfacial mobility, and surfactant reorganization regulate the dynamic properties of surfactant-laden interfaces, few simple methods permit simultaneous monitoring of this interplay. Here, we explore the optical responses of micrometer-thick films of oils (4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl, 5CB) with a liquid crystalline order in contact with flowing aqueous phases of soluble [e.g., sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)] or insoluble (e.g., 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) amphiphiles. We observe the onset of flow of 0.5 mM SDS solutions within a millifluidic channel (area-average velocity of 200 mm/s) to transform a liquid crystal (LC) film with an alignment along the interface normal into a bright birefringent state (average LC tilt angle of 30°), consistent with an initially mobile interface that shears and thus tilts the LC along the flow direction. Subsequently, we observed the LC film to evolve to a steady state (over ∼10 s) with position-dependent optical retardance controlled by gradients in surfactant concentration and thus Marangoni stresses. For 0.5 mM SDS solutions, by using particle tracking and a simple hydrodynamic model, we reveal that the dominant role of the flow-induced interfacial surfactant concentration gradient is to change the mobility of the interface (and thus shear rate of LC) and not to change the easy axis (equilibrium orientation) or anchoring energy (orientation-dependent interfacial energy) of the LC. At lower surfactant concentrations (0.015 mM SDS), however, we show that the LC directly maps flow-induced interfacial surfactant concentration gradients via a change in the local easy axis of the LC. When combined with additional measurements obtained with simple salts and insoluble amphiphiles, these results hint that LC oils may offer the basis of general and facile methods that permit mapping of both interfacial mobilities and surfactant distributions at flowing interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangchul Roh
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Michael Tsuei
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Nicholas L Abbott
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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Kim I, Kim WS, Kim K, Ansari MA, Mehmood MQ, Badloe T, Kim Y, Gwak J, Lee H, Kim YK, Rho J. Holographic metasurface gas sensors for instantaneous visual alarms. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/15/eabe9943. [PMID: 33827821 PMCID: PMC8026120 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe9943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The rapid detection of biological and chemical substances in real time is particularly important for public health and environmental monitoring and in the military sector. If the process of substance detection to visual reporting can be implemented into a single miniaturized sensor, there could be a profound impact on practical applications. Here, we propose a compact sensor platform that integrates liquid crystals (LCs) and holographic metasurfaces to autonomously sense the existence of a volatile gas and provide an immediate visual holographic alarm. By combining the advantage of the rapid responses to gases realized by LCs with the compactness of holographic metasurfaces, we develop ultracompact gas sensors without additional complex instruments or machinery to report the visual information of gas detection. To prove the applicability of the compact sensors, we demonstrate a metasurface-integrated gas sensor on safety goggles via a one-step nanocasting process that is attachable to flat, curved, and flexible surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inki Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Won-Sik Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwan Kim
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Muhammad Afnan Ansari
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Information Technology University of the Punjab, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Qasim Mehmood
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Information Technology University of the Punjab, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
| | - Trevon Badloe
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeseul Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Junho Gwak
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Heon Lee
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Ki Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea.
| | - Junsuk Rho
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
- National Institute of Nanomaterials Technology (NINT), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
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8
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Jiang S, Noh J, Park C, Smith AD, Abbott NL, Zavala VM. Using machine learning and liquid crystal droplets to identify and quantify endotoxins from different bacterial species. Analyst 2021; 146:1224-1233. [PMID: 33393547 DOI: 10.1039/d0an02220a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Detection and quantification of bacterial endotoxins is important in a range of health-related contexts, including during pharmaceutical manufacturing of therapeutic proteins and vaccines. Here we combine experimental measurements based on nematic liquid crystalline droplets and machine learning methods to show that it is possible to classify bacterial sources (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella minnesota) and quantify concentration of endotoxin derived from all three bacterial species present in aqueous solution. The approach uses flow cytometry to quantify, in a high-throughput manner, changes in the internal ordering of micrometer-sized droplets of nematic 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl triggered by the endotoxins. The changes in internal ordering alter the intensities of light side-scattered (SSC, large-angle) and forward-scattered (FSC, small-angle) by the liquid crystal droplets. A convolutional neural network (Endonet) is trained using the large data sets generated by flow cytometry and shown to predict endotoxin source and concentration directly from the FSC/SSC scatter plots. By using saliency maps, we reveal how EndoNet captures subtle differences in scatter fields to enable classification of bacterial source and quantification of endotoxin concentration over a range that spans eight orders of magnitude (0.01 pg mL-1 to 1 μg mL-1). We attribute changes in scatter fields with bacterial origin of endotoxin, as detected by EndoNet, to the distinct molecular structures of the lipid A domains of the endotoxins derived from the three bacteria. Overall, we conclude that the combination of liquid crystal droplets and EndoNet provides the basis of a promising analytical approach for endotoxins that does not require use of complex biologically-derived reagents (e.g., Limulus amoebocyte lysate).
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengli Jiang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| | - JungHyun Noh
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 113 Ho Plaza, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - Chulsoon Park
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| | - Alexander D Smith
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| | - Nicholas L Abbott
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 113 Ho Plaza, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - Victor M Zavala
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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9
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Choi W, Battistella C, Gianneschi NC. High efficiency loading of micellar nanoparticles with a light switch for enzyme-induced rapid release of cargo. Biomater Sci 2021; 9:653-657. [PMID: 33300507 PMCID: PMC9753762 DOI: 10.1039/d0bm01713b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Polymeric nanoscale materials able to target and accumulate in the tumor microenvironment (TME) offer promising routes for a safer delivery of anticancer drugs. By reaching their targets before significant amounts of drug are released, such materials can reduce off-target side effects and maximize drug concentration in the TME. However, poor drug loading capacity and inefficient nanomaterial penetration into the tumor can limit their therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we provide a novel approach to achieve high loading profiles while ensuring fast and efficient drug penetration in the tumor. This is achieved by co-polymerizing light-sensitive paclitaxel with monomers responsive to tumor-associated enzymes, and assembling the resulting di-block copolymers into spherical micelles. While light exposure enables paclitaxel to decouple from the polymeric backbone into light-activated micelles, enzymatic digestion in the TME initiates its burst release. Through a series of in vitro cytotoxicity assays, we demonstrate that these light-switch micelles hold greater potency than covalently linked, non-triggered micelles, and enable therapeutic profiles comparable to that of the free drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonmin Choi
- Department of Chemistry, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Pharmacology, International Institute for Nanotechnology, Simpson-Querrey Institute, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
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10
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Paterson DA, Bao P, Abou-Saleh RH, Peyman SA, Jones JC, Sandoe JAT, Evans SD, Gleeson HF, Bushby RJ. Control of Director Fields in Phospholipid-Coated Liquid Crystal Droplets. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:6436-6446. [PMID: 32392071 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c00651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In liquid crystal (LC) droplets, small changes in surface anchoring energy can produce large changes in the director field which result in readily detectable optical effects. This makes them attractive for use as biosensors. Coating LC droplets with a phospholipid monolayer provides a bridge between the hydrophobic world of LCs and the water-based world of biology and makes it possible to incorporate naturally occurring biosensor systems. However, phospholipids promote strong perpendicular (homeotropic) anchoring that can inhibit switching of the director field. We show that the tendency for phospholipid layers to promote perpendicular anchoring can be suppressed by using synthetic phospholipids in which the acyl chains are terminated with bulky tert-butyl or ferrocenyl groups; the larger these end-group(s), the less likely the system is to be perpendicular/radial. Additionally, the droplet director field is found to be dependent on the nature of the LC, particularly its intrinsic surface properties, but not (apparently) on the sign of the dielectric anisotropy, the proximity to the melting/isotropic phase transition, the surface tension (in air), or the values of the Frank elastic constants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Paterson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
| | - Peng Bao
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
| | - Radwa H Abou-Saleh
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
- Biophysics Group, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Sally A Peyman
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
- School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
| | - J Cliff Jones
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
| | - Jonathan A T Sandoe
- Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
| | - Stephen D Evans
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
| | - Helen F Gleeson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
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Tsuei M, Shivrayan M, Kim YK, Thayumanavan S, Abbott NL. Optical “Blinking” Triggered by Collisions of Single Supramolecular Assemblies of Amphiphilic Molecules with Interfaces of Liquid Crystals. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:6139-6148. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b13360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Tsuei
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Manisha Shivrayan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Young-Ki Kim
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - S. Thayumanavan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Nicholas L. Abbott
- Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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12
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Khan M, Li W, Mao S, Shah SNA, Lin J. Real-Time Imaging of Ammonia Release from Single Live Cells via Liquid Crystal Droplets Immobilized on the Cell Membrane. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2019; 6:1900778. [PMID: 31637159 PMCID: PMC6794618 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201900778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Tumor cells exhibit prominent metabolic alterations through which they acclimatize to their stressful microenvironment. These cells have a high rate of glutaminolysis and release ammonia (NH3) as a byproduct, which may function as a diffusible signal among cancer cells and can reveal cellular heterogeneity. E7, a nematic liquid crystal (LC), is doped with 4-pentyl-4'-biphenyl carboxylic acid (PBA) and encapsulated in polymeric microcapsules (P-E7PBA), which are then immobilized on cells in a microfluidic channel. Normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and myeloma, human primary glioblastoma (U87), human colon carcinoma (Caco-2), and human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cells are investigated for the release of NH3. The P-E7PBA is able to visualize NH3 release from the cell via a radial-to-bipolar (R-B) orientation change, observed through a polarized optical microscope. The various cell lines significantly differ in their response time required for an R-B change. The mean response times for Caco-2, U87, and MCF-7 cells are 277, 155, and 121 s, respectively. NH3 release from a single cell captured in a microwell flow chip shows a similar R-B change. The P-E7PBA droplets technology could be applied to other multiple targets by functionalizing LCs with different probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mashooq Khan
- Department of ChemistryBeijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and InstrumentationMOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical BiologyTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
| | - Weiwei Li
- Department of ChemistryBeijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and InstrumentationMOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical BiologyTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
| | - Sifeng Mao
- Department of ChemistryBeijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and InstrumentationMOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical BiologyTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
| | - Syed Niaz Ali Shah
- Department of ChemistryBeijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and InstrumentationMOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical BiologyTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
| | - Jin‐Ming Lin
- Department of ChemistryBeijing Key Laboratory of Microanalytical Methods and InstrumentationMOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical BiologyTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084China
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13
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Kim YK, Noh J, Nayani K, Abbott NL. Soft matter from liquid crystals. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:6913-6929. [PMID: 31441481 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01424a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystals (LCs) are fluids within which molecules exhibit long-range orientational order, leading to anisotropic properties such as optical birefringence and curvature elasticity. Because the ordering of molecules within LCs can be altered by weak external stimuli, LCs have been widely used to create soft matter systems that respond optically to electric fields (LC display), temperature (LC thermometer) or molecular adsorbates (LC chemical sensor). More recent studies, however, have moved beyond investigations of optical responses of LCs to explore the design of complex LC-based soft matter systems that offer the potential to realize more sophisticated functions (e.g., autonomous, self-regulating chemical responses to mechanical stimuli) by directing the interactions of small molecules, synthetic colloids and living cells dispersed within the bulk of LCs or at their interfaces. These studies are also increasingly focusing on LC systems driven beyond equilibrium states. This review presents one perspective on these advances, with an emphasis on the discovery of fundamental phenomena that may enable new technologies. Three areas of progress are highlighted; (i) directed assembly of amphiphilic molecules either within topological defects of LCs or at aqueous interfaces of LCs, (ii) templated polymerization in LCs via chemical vapor deposition, an approach that overcomes fundamental challenges related to control of LC phase behavior during polymerization, and (iii) studies of colloids in LCs, including chiral colloids, soft colloids that are strained by LCs, and active colloids that are driven into organized states by dissipation of energy (e.g. bacteria). These examples, and key unresolved issues discussed at the end of this perspective, serve to convey the message that soft matter systems that integrate ideas from LC, surfactant, polymer and colloid sciences define fertile territory for fundamental studies and creation of future transformative technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young-Ki Kim
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 113 Ho Plaza, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA. and Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-Ro, Nam-Gu, Pohang, Gyengbuk 37673, Korea
| | - JungHyun Noh
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 113 Ho Plaza, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
| | - Karthik Nayani
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 113 Ho Plaza, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
| | - Nicholas L Abbott
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 113 Ho Plaza, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
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14
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Low-frequency dielectric spectroscopy and distinct relaxation modes in smectic phases of liquid crystal dimers. J Mol Liq 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2019.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Yang X, Tian Y, Li F, Yu Q, Tan SF, Chen Y, Yang Z. Investigation of the Assembly Behavior of an Amphiphilic Lipopeptide at the Liquid Crystal-Aqueous Interface. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:2490-2497. [PMID: 30696245 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b03294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In this article, we designed an amphiphilic lipopeptide molecule, 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein-KKKKKKSKTK-Cys(C12H25)-OMe (FAM-lipopeptide-C12), and studied its assembly behavior at the 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB)-aqueous interface. The ordering transitions of liquid crystals (LCs) revealed that FAM-lipopeptide-C12 can assemble at the LC-aqueous interface (both planar and curved interfaces). The assembly can be destroyed by adding trypsin, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of lipopeptides. Fluorescence measurements further confirmed the assembly and deassembly behavior of FAM-lipopeptide-C12 at the LC-aqueous interface. Overall, our work provides a general method for the construction of a biointerface by directly assembling amphiphilic lipopeptides at the LC-aqueous interface, which can potentially be used in selectively detecting the activity of specific enzymes and other biomolecular interactions.
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Kim YK, Raghupathi KR, Pendery JS, Khomein P, Sridhar U, de Pablo JJ, Thayumanavan S, Abbott NL. Oligomers as Triggers for Responsive Liquid Crystals. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2018; 34:10092-10101. [PMID: 30064213 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b01944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We report an investigation of the influence of aqueous solutions of amphiphilic oligomers on the ordering of micrometer-thick films of thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs), thus addressing the gap in knowledge arising from previous studies of the interactions of monomeric and polymeric amphiphiles with LCs. Specifically, we synthesized amphiphilic oligomers (with decyl hydrophobic and pentaethylene glycol hydrophilic domains) in monomer, dimer, and trimer forms, and incubated aqueous solutions of the oligomers against nematic films of 4'-pentyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (5CB). All amphiphilic oligomers caused sequential surface-driven orientational (planar to homeotropic) and then bulk phase transitions (nematic to isotropic) with dynamics depending strongly on the degree of oligomerization. The dynamics of the orientational transitions accelerated from monomer to trimer, consistent with the effects of an increase in adsorption free energy. The mechanism underlying the orientational transition, however, involved a decrease in anchoring energy and not change in the easy axis of the LC. In contrast, the rate of the phase transition induced by absorption of oligomers into the LC decreased from monomer to trimer, suggesting that constraints on configurational degrees of freedom influence the absorption free energies of the oligomers. Interestingly, the oligomer-induced transition from the nematic to isotropic phase of 5CB was observed to nucleate at the aqueous-5CB interface, consistent with surface-induced disorder underlying the above-reported decrease in anchoring energy caused by the oligomers. Finally, we provided proof-of-concept experiments of the triggering of LCs using a trimeric amphiphile that is photocleaved by UV illumination into monomeric fragments. Overall, our results provide insight into the rational design of oligomers that can be used as triggers to create responsive LCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young-Ki Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , University of Wisconsin-Madison , 1415 Engineering Drive , Madison , Wisconsin 53706 , United States
| | - Krishna R Raghupathi
- Department of Chemistry , University of Massachusetts Amherst , 710 North Pleasant Street , Amherst , Massachusetts 01003 , United States
| | - Joel S Pendery
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , University of Wisconsin-Madison , 1415 Engineering Drive , Madison , Wisconsin 53706 , United States
| | - Piyachai Khomein
- Department of Chemistry , University of Massachusetts Amherst , 710 North Pleasant Street , Amherst , Massachusetts 01003 , United States
| | - Uma Sridhar
- Department of Chemistry , University of Massachusetts Amherst , 710 North Pleasant Street , Amherst , Massachusetts 01003 , United States
| | - Juan J de Pablo
- Institute for Molecular Engineering , University of Chicago , Chicago , Illinois 60637 , United States
- Argonne National Laboratory , Argonne , Illinois 60439 , United States
| | - S Thayumanavan
- Department of Chemistry , University of Massachusetts Amherst , 710 North Pleasant Street , Amherst , Massachusetts 01003 , United States
| | - Nicholas L Abbott
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering , University of Wisconsin-Madison , 1415 Engineering Drive , Madison , Wisconsin 53706 , United States
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