1
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Kelleher CP, Rana YP, Needleman DJ. Long-range repulsion between chromosomes in mammalian oocyte spindles. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadq7540. [PMID: 39321282 PMCID: PMC11423871 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq7540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 09/27/2024]
Abstract
During eukaryotic cell division, a microtubule-based structure called the spindle exerts forces on chromosomes. The best-studied spindle forces, including those responsible for the separation of sister chromatids, are directed parallel to the spindle's long axis. By contrast, little is known about forces perpendicular to the spindle axis, which determine the metaphase plate configuration and thus the location of chromosomes in the subsequent nucleus. Using live-cell microscopy, we find that metaphase chromosomes are spatially anti-correlated in mouse oocyte spindles, evidence of previously unknown long-range forces acting perpendicular to the spindle axis. We explain this observation by showing that the spindle's microtubule network behaves as a nematic liquid crystal and that deformation of the nematic field around embedded chromosomes causes long-range repulsion between them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colm P Kelleher
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Yash P Rana
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Daniel J Needleman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY 10010, USA
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2
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Esmaeili M, Akbari E, George K, Rezvan G, Taheri-Qazvini N, Sadati M. Engineering Nano/Microscale Chiral Self-Assembly in 3D Printed Constructs. NANO-MICRO LETTERS 2023; 16:54. [PMID: 38108930 PMCID: PMC10728402 DOI: 10.1007/s40820-023-01286-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Helical hierarchy found in biomolecules like cellulose, chitin, and collagen underpins the remarkable mechanical strength and vibrant colors observed in living organisms. This study advances the integration of helical/chiral assembly and 3D printing technology, providing precise spatial control over chiral nano/microstructures of rod-shaped colloidal nanoparticles in intricate geometries. We designed reactive chiral inks based on cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) suspensions and acrylamide monomers, enabling the chiral assembly at nano/microscale, beyond the resolution seen in printed materials. We employed a range of complementary techniques including Orthogonal Superposition rheometry and in situ rheo-optic measurements under steady shear rate conditions. These techniques help us to understand the nature of the nonlinear flow behavior of the chiral inks, and directly probe the flow-induced microstructural dynamics and phase transitions at constant shear rates, as well as their post-flow relaxation. Furthermore, we analyzed the photo-curing process to identify key parameters affecting gelation kinetics and structural integrity of the printed object within the supporting bath. These insights into the interplay between the chiral inks self-assembly dynamics, 3D printing flow kinematics and photo-polymerization kinetics provide a roadmap to direct the out-of-equilibrium arrangement of CNC particles in the 3D printed filaments, ranging from uniform nematic to 3D concentric chiral structures with controlled pitch length, as well as random orientation of chiral domains. Our biomimetic approach can pave the way for the creation of materials with superior mechanical properties or programable photonic responses that arise from 3D nano/microstructure and can be translated into larger scale 3D printed designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Esmaeili
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Ehsan Akbari
- TA Instruments, Waters LLC, New Castle, DE, 19720, USA
| | - Kyle George
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Gelareh Rezvan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Nader Taheri-Qazvini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
- Biomedical Engineering Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Monirosadat Sadati
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
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3
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Tao H, Rigoni C, Li H, Koistinen A, Timonen JVI, Zhou J, Kontturi E, Rojas OJ, Chu G. Thermodynamically controlled multiphase separation of heterogeneous liquid crystal colloids. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5277. [PMID: 37644027 PMCID: PMC10465492 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41054-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Phase separation is a universal physical transition process whereby a homogeneous mixture splits into two distinct compartments that are driven by the component activity, elasticity, or compositions. In the current work, we develop a series of heterogeneous colloidal suspensions that exhibit both liquid-liquid phase separation of semiflexible binary polymers and liquid crystal phase separation of rigid, rod-like nanocellulose particles. The phase behavior of the multicomponent mixture is controlled by the trade-off between thermodynamics and kinetics during the two transition processes, displaying cholesteric self-assembly of nanocellulose within or across the compartmented aqueous phases. Upon thermodynamic control, two-, three-, and four-phase coexistence behaviors with rich liquid crystal stackings are realized. Among which, each relevant multiphase separation kinetics shows fundamentally different paths governed by nucleation and growth of polymer droplets and nanocellulose tactoids. Furthermore, a coupled multiphase transition can be realized by tuning the composition and the equilibrium temperature, which results in thermotropic behavior of polymers within a lyotropic liquid crystal matrix. Finally, upon drying, the multicomponent mixture undergoes a hierarchical self-assembly of nanocellulose and polymers into stratified cholesteric films, exhibiting compartmentalized polymer distribution and anisotropic microporous structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Tao
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02510, Espoo, Finland
| | - Carlo Rigoni
- Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University School of Science, Puumiehenkuja 2, 02150, Espoo, Finland
| | - Hailong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China
| | - Antti Koistinen
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02510, Espoo, Finland
| | - Jaakko V I Timonen
- Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University School of Science, Puumiehenkuja 2, 02150, Espoo, Finland
| | - Jiancheng Zhou
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
| | - Eero Kontturi
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02510, Espoo, Finland.
| | - Orlando J Rojas
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02510, Espoo, Finland.
- Bioproducts Institute, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Department of Wood Science, The University of British Columbia, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
| | - Guang Chu
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02510, Espoo, Finland.
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
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4
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Azzari P, Mezzenga R. LLPS vs. LLCPS: analogies and differences. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:1873-1881. [PMID: 36806460 PMCID: PMC9993225 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01455f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We compare the process of Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation (LLPS) of flexible macromolecular solutions, with the Liquid-Liquid Crystalline Phase Separation (LLCPS) of semiflexible polymers and rigid filamentous colloids, which involves the formation of a liquid phase that possesses a directional alignment. Although the observed phase separation follows a similar dynamic path, namely nucleation and growth or spinodal decomposition separating two phases of dilute and concentrated compositions, the underlying physics that defines the theoretical framework of LLCPS is completely different from the one of LLPS. We review the main theories that describe the phase separation processes and relying on thermodynamics and dynamical arguments, we highlight the differences and analogies between these two phase separation phenomena, attempting to clarify the inner mechanisms that regulate those two processes. A particular focus is given to metastable phases, as these intermediate states represent a key element in understanding how phase separation works.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paride Azzari
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Schmelzbergstrasse 9, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Raffaele Mezzenga
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Schmelzbergstrasse 9, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang Pauli Strasse 10, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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5
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Zhang Q, Zhou S, Zhang R, Bischofberger I. Dendritic patterns from shear-enhanced anisotropy in nematic liquid crystals. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eabq6820. [PMID: 36638169 PMCID: PMC9839321 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq6820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Controlling the growth morphology of fluid instabilities is challenging because of their self-amplified and nonlinear growth. The viscous fingering instability, which arises when a less viscous fluid displaces a more viscous one, transitions from exhibiting dense-branching growth characterized by repeated tip splitting of the growing fingers to dendritic growth characterized by stable tips in the presence of anisotropy. We controllably induce such a morphology transition by shear-enhancing the anisotropy of nematic liquid crystal solutions. For fast enough flow induced by the finger growth, the intrinsic tumbling behavior of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals can be suppressed, which results in a flow alignment of the material. This microscopic change in the director field occurs as the viscous torque from the shear flow becomes dominant over the elastic torque from the nematic potential and macroscopically enhances the liquid crystal anisotropy to induce the transition to dendritic growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Shuang Zhou
- Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Rui Zhang
- Department of Physics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Irmgard Bischofberger
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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6
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Yang S, Zhang B, Murdock SR, Collings PJ. Orientational order of dyes in a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:7415-7421. [PMID: 36129321 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01110g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Absorption measurements allow the orientational order parameter of four dyes in the lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal di-sodium cromoglycate (DSCG) to be determined. The dye order parameters are small, except for dyes that intercalate between the DSCG molecules of the rod-like assemblies. The dye order parameters decrease with increasing temperature faster than the nematic order parameter of the DSCG assemblies. For intercalating dyes, the measured dye order parameter varies with the wavelength of the measurement because both intercalated and non-intercalated dye molecules contribute. On the contrary, measurements of the dye order parameter using fluorescence are sensitive only to intercalated dye molecules and produce values that reflect the order parameter of the DSCG assemblies. Therefore, the temperature and concentration dependence of the DSCG order parameter is also explored, since data of this kind on this often-studied system are lacking. Finally, the association constant of one of the intercalating dyes with the DSCG assemblies is determined, yielding a value considerably less than what is found for the same dye with DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Yang
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA.
| | - Bingru Zhang
- Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Solomon R Murdock
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA.
| | - Peter J Collings
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA.
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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7
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Shin S, Eun J, Lee SS, Lee C, Hugonnet H, Yoon DK, Kim SH, Jeong J, Park Y. Tomographic measurement of dielectric tensors at optical frequency. NATURE MATERIALS 2022; 21:317-324. [PMID: 35241823 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-022-01202-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The dielectric tensor is a physical descriptor of fundamental light-matter interactions, characterizing anisotropic materials with principal refractive indices and optic axes. Despite its importance in scientific and industrial applications ranging from material science to soft matter physics, the direct measurement of the three-dimensional dielectric tensor has been limited by the vectorial and inhomogeneous nature of light scattering from anisotropic materials. Here, we present a dielectric tensor tomographic approach to directly measure dielectric tensors of anisotropic structures including the spatial variations of principal refractive indices and directors. The anisotropic structure is illuminated with a polarized plane wave with various angles and polarization states. Then, the scattered fields are holographically measured and converted into vectorial diffracted field components. Finally, by inversely solving a vectorial wave equation, the three-dimensional dielectric tensor is reconstructed. Using this approach, we demonstrate quantitative tomographic measurements of various nematic liquid-crystal structures and their fast three-dimensional non-equilibrium dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungwoo Shin
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jonghee Eun
- Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Seok Lee
- Functional Composite Materials Research Center, Institute of Advanced Composite Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Wanju-gun, Republic of Korea
| | - Changjae Lee
- Department of Chemistry, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Herve Hugonnet
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Ki Yoon
- Department of Chemistry, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology and KAIST Institute for Nanocentury, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Shin-Hyun Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Joonwoo Jeong
- Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - YongKeun Park
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
- KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
- Tomocube, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
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8
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Ettinger S, Dietrich CF, Mishra CK, Miksch C, Beller DA, Collings PJ, Yodh AG. Rods in a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal: emergence of chirality, symmetry-breaking alignment, and caged angular diffusion. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:487-495. [PMID: 34851348 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm01209f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs), twist distortion of the nematic director costs much less energy than splay or bend distortion. This feature leads to novel mirror-symmetry breaking director configurations when the LCLCs are confined by interfaces or contain suspended particles. Spherical colloids in an aligned LCLC nematic phase, for example, induce chiral director perturbations ("twisted tails"). The asymmetry of rod-like particles in an aligned LCLC offer a richer set of possibilities due to their aspect ratio (α) and mean orientation angle (〈θ〉) between their long axis and the uniform far-field director. Here we report on the director configuration, equilibrium orientation, and angular diffusion of rod-like particles with planar anchoring suspended in an aligned LCLC. Video microscopy reveals, counterintuitively, that two-thirds of the rods have an angled equilibrium orientation (〈θ〉 ≠ 0) that decreases with increasing α, while only one-third of the rods are aligned (〈θ〉 = 0). Polarized optical video-microscopy and Landau-de Gennes numerical modeling demonstrate that the angled and aligned rods are accompanied by distinct chiral director configurations. Angled rods have a longitudinal mirror plane (LMP) parallel to their long axis and approximately parallel to the substrate walls. Aligned rods have a transverse and longitudinal mirror plane (TLMP), where the transverse mirror plane is perpendicular to the rod's long axis. Effectively, the small twist elastic constant of LCLCs promotes chiral director configurations that modify the natural tendency of rods to orient along the far-field director. Additional diffusion experiments confirm that rods are angularly confined with strength that depends on α.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Ettinger
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Clarissa F Dietrich
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 55, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Chandan K Mishra
- Discipline of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Cornelia Miksch
- Max Planck Institute of Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Daniel A Beller
- Department of Physics, University of California, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
| | - Peter J Collings
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, 19081, USA
| | - A G Yodh
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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9
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Faidiuk Y, Skivka L, Zelena P, Tereshchenko O, Buluy O, Pergamenshchik VM, Nazarenko V. Anchoring-induced nonmonotonic velocity versus temperature dependence of motile bacteria in a lyotropic nematic liquid crystal. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:054603. [PMID: 34942701 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.054603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The elastic and viscous properties of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals have a very sharp, often exponential temperature dependence. Self-propelled bacteria swimming in this viscoelastic medium induce director deformations which can strongly influence their velocity, and we study the temperature behavior of their motility in the whole range of the nematic phase. We observe experimentally that, with increasing temperature, while the viscosity drops exponentially and the frequency of the flagellum rotation grows linearly, the swimmers' speed first conventionally increases but then, above some crossover temperature, slows down and at the same time bacteria-induced director distortions become visible. It is shown that the physics behind this temperature-driven effect is in a sharp rise in the ability of the bacterium's flagellum to induce director deformations. As temperature increases, the splay and bend elastic constants sharply decrease and the anchoring extrapolation length of the flagellum surface gets shorter and shorter. At the crossover temperature the resulting effective anchoring effect dominates the fast dropping viscosity and the distortion strengthens. As a result, a fraction of the torque the flagellum applies for the propulsion is spent for the elastic degrees of freedom, which results in a bacterium slowdown. To find the director distortions, the flagellum is presented as a collection of anchoring-induced elastic monopoles, and the bacterium velocity is found from the balance of the energy spent for the propulsion and the viscous drag and nematodynamic dissipation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Faidiuk
- ESC Institute of Biology and Medicine, Taras Shevchenko National University, Kyiv 03022, Ukraine.,D.K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology, NASU, Kyiv 03680, Ukraine
| | - L Skivka
- ESC Institute of Biology and Medicine, Taras Shevchenko National University, Kyiv 03022, Ukraine
| | - P Zelena
- ESC Institute of Biology and Medicine, Taras Shevchenko National University, Kyiv 03022, Ukraine
| | | | - O Buluy
- Institute of Physics, NASU, Kyiv 03028, Ukraine
| | | | - V Nazarenko
- Institute of Physics, NASU, Kyiv 03028, Ukraine
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10
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Ge B, Zhang Q, Zhang R, Lin JT, Tseng PH, Chang CW, Dong CY, Zhou R, Yaqoob Z, Bischofberger I, So PTC. Single-Shot Quantitative Polarization Imaging of Complex Birefringent Structure Dynamics. ACS PHOTONICS 2021; 8:3440-3447. [PMID: 37292495 PMCID: PMC10249439 DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.1c00788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Polarization light microscopes are powerful tools for probing molecular order and orientation in birefringent materials. While a number of polarization microscopy techniques are available to access steady-state properties of birefringent samples, quantitative measurements of the molecular orientation dynamics on the millisecond time scale have remained a challenge. We propose polarized shearing interference microscopy (PSIM), a single-shot quantitative polarization imaging method, for extracting the retardance and orientation angle of the laser beam transmitting through optically anisotropic specimens with complex structures. The measurement accuracy and imaging performance of PSIM are validated by imaging a birefringent resolution target and a bovine tendon specimen. We demonstrate that PSIM can quantify the dynamics of a flowing lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal in a microfluidic channel at an imaging speed of 506 frames per second (only limited by the camera frame rate), with a field-of-view of up to 350 × 350 μm2 and a diffraction-limit spatial resolution of ~2 μm. We envision that PSIM will find a broad range of applications in quantitative material characterization under dynamical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoliang Ge
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Laser Biomedical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Qing Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Rui Zhang
- Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Jing-Tang Lin
- Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106 Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Po-Hang Tseng
- Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106 Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Che-Wei Chang
- Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106 Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Chen-Yuan Dong
- Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106 Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Renjie Zhou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Zahid Yaqoob
- Laser Biomedical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Irmgard Bischofberger
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Peter T C So
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Laser Biomedical Research Center and Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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11
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Jani P, Nayani K, Abbott NL. Sculpting the shapes of giant unilamellar vesicles using isotropic-nematic-isotropic phase cycles. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:9078-9086. [PMID: 34558596 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00910a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how soft matter deforms in response to mechanical interactions is central to the design of functional synthetic materials as well as elucidation of the behaviors of biological assemblies. Here we explore how cycles of thermally induced transitions between nematic (N) and isotropic (I) phases can be used to exert cyclical elastic stresses on dispersions of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) and thereby evolve GUV shape and properties. The measurements were enabled by the finding that I-N-I phase transitions of the lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal disodium cromoglycate, when conducted via an intermediate columnar (M) phase, minimized transport of GUVs on phase fronts to confining surfaces. Whereas I to N phase transitions strained spherical GUVs into spindle-like shapes, with an efflux of GUV internal volume, subsequent N to I transitions generated a range of complex GUV shapes, including stomatocyte, pear- and dumbbell-like shapes that depended on the extent of strain in the N phase. The highest strained GUVs were observed to form buds (daughter vesicles) that we show, via a cycle of I-N-I-N phase transitions, are connected via a neck to the parent vesicle. Additional experiments established that changes in elasticity of the phase surrounding the GUVs and not thermal expansion of membranes were responsible for the shape transitions, and that I-N-I transformations that generate stomatocytes can be understood from the Bilayer-Coupling model of GUV shapes. Overall, these observations advance our understanding of how LC elastic stresses can be regulated to evolve the shapes of soft biological assemblies as well as provide new approaches for engineering synthetic soft matter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Purvil Jani
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Karthik Nayani
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Nicholas L Abbott
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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12
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Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2108361118. [PMID: 34446562 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2108361118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals are water-based materials composed of self-assembled cylindrical aggregates. Their behavior under flow is poorly understood, and quantitatively resolving the optical retardance of the flowing liquid crystal has so far been limited by the imaging speed of current polarization-resolved imaging techniques. Here, we employ a single-shot quantitative polarization imaging method, termed polarized shearing interference microscopy, to quantify the spatial distribution and the dynamics of the structures emerging in nematic disodium cromoglycate solutions in a microfluidic channel. We show that pure-twist disclination loops nucleate in the bulk flow over a range of shear rates. These loops are elongated in the flow direction and exhibit a constant aspect ratio that is governed by the nonnegligible splay-bend anisotropy at the loop boundary. The size of the loops is set by the balance between nucleation forces and annihilation forces acting on the disclination. The fluctuations of the pure-twist disclination loops reflect the tumbling character of nematic disodium cromoglycate. Our study, including experiment, simulation, and scaling analysis, provides a comprehensive understanding of the structure and dynamics of pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals and might open new routes for using these materials to control assembly and flow of biological systems or particles in microfluidic devices.
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13
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Shaban H, Lee MJ, Lee W. Label-Free Detection and Spectrometrically Quantitative Analysis of the Cancer Biomarker CA125 Based on Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystal. BIOSENSORS 2021; 11:bios11080271. [PMID: 34436073 PMCID: PMC8394883 DOI: 10.3390/bios11080271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Compared with thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs), the biosensing potential of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs), which are more biocompatible because of their hydrophilic nature, has scarcely been investigated. In this study, the nematic phase, a mesophase shared by both thermotropic LCs and LCLCs, of disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) was employed as the sensing mesogen in the LCLC-based biosensor. The biosensing platform was constructed so that the LCLC was homogeneously aligned by the planar anchoring strength of polyimide, but was disrupted in the presence of proteins such as bovine serum albumin (BSA) or the cancer biomarker CA125 captured by the anti-CA125 antibody, with the level of disturbance (and the optical signal thus produced) predominated by the amount of the analyte. The concentration- and wavelength-dependent optical response was analyzed by transmission spectrometry in the visible light spectrum with parallel or crossed polarizers. The concentration of CA125 can be quantified with spectrometrically derived parameters in a linear calibration curve. The limit of detection for both BSA and CA125 of the LCLC-based biosensor was superior or comparable to that of thermotropic LC-based biosensing techniques. Our results provide, to the best of our knowledge, the first evidence that LCLCs can be applied in spectrometrically quantitative biosensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassanein Shaban
- Institute of Imaging and Biomedical Photonics, College of Photonics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Guiren District, Tainan 71150, Taiwan;
- Department of Basic Science, Faculty of Engineering, The British University in Egypt, El Sherouk City 11837, Egypt
| | - Mon-Juan Lee
- Department of Bioscience Technology, Chang Jung Christian University, Guiren District, Tainan 71101, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Science Industries, Chang Jung Christian University, Guiren District, Tainan 71101, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (M.-J.L.); (W.L.)
| | - Wei Lee
- Institute of Imaging and Biomedical Photonics, College of Photonics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Guiren District, Tainan 71150, Taiwan;
- Correspondence: (M.-J.L.); (W.L.)
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14
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Kaniyoor A, Gspann TS, Mizen JE, Elliott JA. Quantifying alignment in carbon nanotube yarns and similar two‐dimensional anisotropic systems. J Appl Polym Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/app.50939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adarsh Kaniyoor
- Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Thurid S. Gspann
- Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Jenifer E. Mizen
- Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - James A. Elliott
- Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
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15
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Paparini S, Virga EG. Nematic tactoid population. Phys Rev E 2021; 103:022707. [PMID: 33736001 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.103.022707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Tactoids are pointed, spindlelike droplets of nematic liquid crystal in an isotropic fluid. They have long been observed in inorganic and organic nematics, in thermotropic phases as well as lyotropic colloidal aggregates. The variational problem of determining the optimal shape of a nematic droplet is formidable and has only been attacked in selected classes of shapes and director fields. Here, by considering a special class of admissible solutions for a bipolar droplet, we study the prevalence in the population of all equilibrium shapes of each of the three that may be optimal (tactoids primarily among them). We show how the prevalence of a shape is affected by a dimensionless measure α of the drop's volume and the ratios k_{24} and k_{3} of the saddle-splay constant K_{24} and the bending constant K_{33} of the material to the splay constant K_{11}. Tactoids, in particular, prevail for α⪅16.2+0.3k_{3}-(14.9-0.1k_{3})k_{24}. Our class of shapes (and director fields) is sufficiently different from those employed so far to unveil a rather different role of K_{24}.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Paparini
- Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 5, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Epifanio G Virga
- Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 5, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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16
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Abstract
Nematic and columnar phases of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) have been long studied for their fundamental and applied prospects in material science and medical diagnostics. LCLC phases represent different self-assembled states of disc-shaped molecules, held together by noncovalent interactions that lead to highly sensitive concentration and temperature dependent properties. Yet, microscale insights into confined LCLCs, specifically in the context of confinement geometry and surface properties, are lacking. Here, we report the emergence of time dependent textures in static disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) solutions, confined in PDMS-based microfluidic devices. We use a combination of soft lithography, surface characterization, and polarized optical imaging to generate and analyze the confinement-induced LCLC textures and demonstrate that over time, herringbone and spherulite textures emerge due to spontaneous nematic (N) to columnar M-phase transition, propagating from the LCLC-PDMS interface into the LCLC bulk. By varying the confinement geometry, anchoring conditions, and the initial DSCG concentration, we can systematically tune the temporal dynamics of the N- to M-phase transition and textural behavior of the confined LCLC. Overall, the time taken to change from nematic to the characteristic M-phase textures decreased as the confinement aspect ratio (width/depth) increased. For a given aspect ratio, the transition to the M-phase was generally faster in degenerate planar confinements, relative to the transition in homeotropic confinements. Since the static molecular states register the initial conditions for LC flows, the time dependent textures reported here suggest that the surface and confinement effects—even under static conditions—could be central in understanding the flow behavior of LCLCs and the associated transport properties of this versatile material.
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17
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Akpinar E, Topcu G, Reis D, Neto AMF. Effect of the anionic azo dye Sunset Yellow in lyotropic mixtures with uniaxial and biaxial nematic phases. J Mol Liq 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2020.114010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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18
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Baza H, Turiv T, Li BX, Li R, Yavitt BM, Fukuto M, Lavrentovich OD. Shear-induced polydomain structures of nematic lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal disodium cromoglycate. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:8565-8576. [PMID: 32785364 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01259a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) represent aqueous dispersions of organic disk-like molecules that form cylindrical aggregates. Despite the growing interest in these materials, their flow behavior is poorly understood. Here, we explore the effect of shear on dynamic structures of the nematic LCLC, formed by 14 wt% water dispersion of disodium cromoglycate (DSCG). We employ in situ polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) to obtain independent and complementary information on the director structures over a wide range of shear rates. The DSCG nematic shows a shear-thinning behavior with two shear-thinning regions (Region I at [small gamma, Greek, dot above] < 1 s-1 and Region III at [small gamma, Greek, dot above] > 10 s-1) separated by a pseudo-Newtonian Region II (1 s-1 < [small gamma, Greek, dot above] < 10 s-1). The material is of a tumbling type. In Region I, [small gamma, Greek, dot above] < 1 s-1, the director realigns along the vorticity axis. An increase of [small gamma, Greek, dot above] above 1 s-1 triggers nucleation of disclination loops. The disclinations introduce patches of the director that deviates from the vorticity direction and form a polydomain texture. Extension of the domains along the flow and along the vorticity direction decreases with the increase of the shear rate to 10 s-1. Above 10 s-1, the domains begin to elongate along the flow. At [small gamma, Greek, dot above] > 100 s-1, the texture evolves into periodic stripes in which the director is predominantly along the flow with left and right tilts. The period of stripes decreases with an increase of [small gamma, Greek, dot above]. The shear-induced transformations are explained by the balance of the elastic and viscous energies. In particular, nucleation of disclinations is associated with an increase of the elastic energy at the walls separating nonsingular domains with different director tilts. The uncovered shear-induced structural effects would be of importance in the further development of LCLC applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hend Baza
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA. and Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Taras Turiv
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA and Materials Science Graduate Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Bing-Xiang Li
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA and Materials Science Graduate Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Ruipeng Li
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, USA
| | - Benjamin M Yavitt
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, USA and Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Masafumi Fukuto
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, USA
| | - Oleg D Lavrentovich
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA. and Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA and Materials Science Graduate Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
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19
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Zhang B, Martens K, Kneer L, Funck T, Nguyen L, Berger R, Dass M, Kempter S, Schmidtke J, Liedl T, Kitzerow HS. DNA Origami Nano-Sheets and Nano-Rods Alter the Orientational Order in a Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystal. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 10:E1695. [PMID: 32872176 PMCID: PMC7560128 DOI: 10.3390/nano10091695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Rod-like and sheet-like nano-particles made of desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fabricated by the DNA origami method (base sequence-controlled self-organized folding of DNA) are dispersed in a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal made of an aqueous solution of disodium cromoglycate. The respective liquid crystalline nanodispersions are doped with a dichroic fluorescent dye and their orientational order parameter is studied by means of polarized fluorescence spectroscopy. The presence of the nano-particles is found to slightly reduce the orientational order parameter of the nematic mesophase. Nano-rods with a large length/width ratio tend to preserve the orientational order, while more compact stiff nano-rods and especially nano-sheets reduce the order parameter to a larger extent. In spite of the difference between the sizes of the DNA nano-particles and the rod-like columnar aggregates forming the liquid crystal, a similarity between the shapes of the former and the latter seems to be better compatible with the orientational order of the liquid crystal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingru Zhang
- Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Warburger Straße 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany; (B.Z.); (J.S.)
| | - Kevin Martens
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 Munich, Germany; (K.M.); (L.K.); (T.F.); (L.N.); (R.B.); (M.D.); (S.K.); (T.L.)
| | - Luisa Kneer
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 Munich, Germany; (K.M.); (L.K.); (T.F.); (L.N.); (R.B.); (M.D.); (S.K.); (T.L.)
| | - Timon Funck
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 Munich, Germany; (K.M.); (L.K.); (T.F.); (L.N.); (R.B.); (M.D.); (S.K.); (T.L.)
| | - Linh Nguyen
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 Munich, Germany; (K.M.); (L.K.); (T.F.); (L.N.); (R.B.); (M.D.); (S.K.); (T.L.)
| | - Ricarda Berger
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 Munich, Germany; (K.M.); (L.K.); (T.F.); (L.N.); (R.B.); (M.D.); (S.K.); (T.L.)
| | - Mihir Dass
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 Munich, Germany; (K.M.); (L.K.); (T.F.); (L.N.); (R.B.); (M.D.); (S.K.); (T.L.)
| | - Susanne Kempter
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 Munich, Germany; (K.M.); (L.K.); (T.F.); (L.N.); (R.B.); (M.D.); (S.K.); (T.L.)
| | - Jürgen Schmidtke
- Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Warburger Straße 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany; (B.Z.); (J.S.)
| | - Tim Liedl
- Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 Munich, Germany; (K.M.); (L.K.); (T.F.); (L.N.); (R.B.); (M.D.); (S.K.); (T.L.)
| | - Heinz-S. Kitzerow
- Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Warburger Straße 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany; (B.Z.); (J.S.)
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20
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Kim HW, Won SH, Kuzmin V, Kim BS, Shin ST. Molecular Ordering Behavior of Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystals on a Polyimide Alignment Layer. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:5778-5786. [PMID: 32388988 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c00486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Coating-type polarizing films with a high dichroic ratio (DR) and polarization efficiency in the visible region were fabricated using a solution of ternary lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs). Optical characteristics of these anisotropic LCLC polarizing films were then determined. DR increased with increasing LCLC concentrations. Molecular ordering of these LCLCs on a rubbed polyimide (PI) layer increased because LCLC molecules' orientation was enhanced by the dielectric anisotropy effect from rubbing the surface of the PI. In addition, this study demonstrated how the interaction between liquid crystal aggregates and the PI surface with different LCLC solutions correlated with LCLC molecular orientations on the PI which is significantly dependent on whether the coating direction of the LCLC solution was parallel or perpendicular to the PI rubbing direction. It was found that the ordering direction at high LCLC concentrations was determined by shearing direction of the LCLC solution coating, whereas the ordering direction at low LCLC concentrations was governed by the dielectric anisotropy effect from the PI rubbing direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeong Wook Kim
- Department of Applied Physics, Korea University, 2511, Sejong-ro, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Hee Won
- Department of Applied Physics, Korea University, 2511, Sejong-ro, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Valery Kuzmin
- Light Polymers Inc., 298 Lawrence Avenue, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Bo Sung Kim
- Department of Applied Physics, Korea University, 2511, Sejong-ro, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
- Light Polymers Inc., 298 Lawrence Avenue, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Sung Tae Shin
- Department of Applied Physics, Korea University, 2511, Sejong-ro, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
- Light Polymers Inc., 298 Lawrence Avenue, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
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21
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Shiraishi K, Takahashi S, Le KV, Naka Y, Sasaki T. Bulk Alignment of Chromonic Aggregates During Swelling of Hydrogels. Macromol Rapid Commun 2020; 41:e1900631. [DOI: 10.1002/marc.201900631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Koji Shiraishi
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of ScienceTokyo University of Science 1‐3 Kagurazaka Shinjuku‐ku Tokyo 162‐8601 Japan
| | - Sawako Takahashi
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of ScienceTokyo University of Science 1‐3 Kagurazaka Shinjuku‐ku Tokyo 162‐8601 Japan
| | - Khoa V. Le
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of ScienceTokyo University of Science 1‐3 Kagurazaka Shinjuku‐ku Tokyo 162‐8601 Japan
| | - Yumiko Naka
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of ScienceTokyo University of Science 1‐3 Kagurazaka Shinjuku‐ku Tokyo 162‐8601 Japan
| | - Takeo Sasaki
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of ScienceTokyo University of Science 1‐3 Kagurazaka Shinjuku‐ku Tokyo 162‐8601 Japan
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22
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Dhakal NP, Jiang J, Guo Y, Peng C. Self-Assembly of Aqueous Soft Matter Patterned by Liquid-Crystal Polymer Networks for Controlling the Dynamics of Bacteria. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:13680-13685. [PMID: 32118403 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c00746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The study of controlling the molecular self-assembly of aqueous soft matter is a fundamental scheme across multiple disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science. In this work, we use liquid-crystal polymer networks (LCNs) to control the superstructures of one aqueous soft material called lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs), which shows spontaneous orientational order by stacking the plank-like molecules into elongated aggregates. We synthesize a layer of patterned LCN films by a nematic liquid-crystal host in which the spatially varying molecular orientations are predesigned by plasmonic photopatterning. We demonstrate that the LCLC aggregates are oriented parallel to the polymer filaments of the LCN film. This patterned aqueous soft material shows immediate application for controlling the dynamics of swimming bacteria. The demonstrated control of the supramolecular assembly of aqueous soft matter by using a stimuli-responsive LCN film will find applications in designing dynamic advanced materials for bioengineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Netra Prasad Dhakal
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, United States
| | - Jinghua Jiang
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, United States
| | - Yubing Guo
- Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States
| | - Chenhui Peng
- Department of Physics and Materials Science, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, United States
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23
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Matus Rivas OM, Rey AD. Molecular Dynamics Study of the Effect of l-Alanine Chiral Dopants on Diluted Chromonic Solutions. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:8995-9010. [PMID: 31525883 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b06111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) chromonic solutions mixed with l-alanine chiral dopants. We study the fundamental molecular mechanisms induced by low concentrations of l-alanine on diluted DSCG solutions, including their effect on the chromonic aggregates, the solvent, and sodium counterions. Simulations reveal that l-alanine molecules primarily interact with DSCG stacks establishing salt bridges between their respective ammonium and carboxylate groups. Our results demonstrate that l-alanine and sodium counterions jointly establish an intricate network of noncovalent interactions around DSCG aggregates that decreases the global electrostatic repulsion of the chromonic system. Two possible structural effects in DSCG aggregates arise from this electronic stabilization: the increment of the total number of consecutively stacked aromatic planes per DSCG aggregate (intracolumnar effect) or the partial separation reduction between neighboring DSCG columnar sections due to the simultaneous bridging of intercolumnar DSCG carboxylate sites by sodium counterions, forming sodium bridges (intercolumnar effect). Sodium bridges may be responsible for the formation of stacking faults in DSCG aggregates in the form of lateral overlap junctions. This mechanism would explain the difference between lower X-ray correlation lengths with the expected persistence length in chromonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar M Matus Rivas
- Department of Chemical Engineering , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec H3A 0C5 , Canada
| | - Alejandro D Rey
- Department of Chemical Engineering , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec H3A 0C5 , Canada
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24
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Guo Y, Shahsavan H, Davidson ZS, Sitti M. Precise Control of Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystal Alignment through Surface Topography. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:36110-36117. [PMID: 31532609 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b12943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Many emerging applications, such as water-based electronic devices and biological sensors, require local control of anisotropic properties. Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) are an exciting class of materials, which are usually biocompatible and provide uniaxial anisotropy through a director field but, to date, remain difficult to control. In this work, we introduce a simple strategy to realize an arbitrary orientation of LCLCs director field in two dimensions (2D). Our alignment strategy relies on surface topographical micro/nanostructures fabricated by two-photon laser writing. We show that the alignment of LCLCs can be: (a) precisely controlled with a remarkable pixel resolution of 2.5 μm and (b) patterned into an arbitrary 2D alignment (e.g., +2 topological defect) by a pixelated design and arrangement of micro/nanostructures. Using a similar strategy, we achieve a patternable homeotropic alignment of LCLCs with nanopillars. Finally, we demonstrate that a self-assembled three-dimensional alignment of LCLCs can be obtained due to the versatility of our alignment strategy. Our demonstration of LCLC director field control, which is not only straightforward to achieve but also compatible with other conventional micro/nanofabrication techniques, will provide new opportunities for the manufacturing of LC-based electronic and biological devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yubing Guo
- Physical Intelligence Department , Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems , 70569 Stuttgart , Germany
| | - Hamed Shahsavan
- Physical Intelligence Department , Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems , 70569 Stuttgart , Germany
| | - Zoey S Davidson
- Physical Intelligence Department , Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems , 70569 Stuttgart , Germany
| | - Metin Sitti
- Physical Intelligence Department , Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems , 70569 Stuttgart , Germany
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25
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Passive and active microrheology of a lyotropic chromonic nematic liquid crystal disodium cromoglycate. J Mol Liq 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2019.111027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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26
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Effect of Crowding Agent Polyethylene Glycol on Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystal Phases of Disodium Cromoglycate. CRYSTALS 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst9030160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Adding crowding agents such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) to lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) formed by water dispersions of materials such as disodium cromoglicate (DSCG) leads to a phase separation of the isotropic phase and the ordered phase. This behavior resembles nanoscale condensation of DNAs but occurs at the microscale. The structure of condensed chromonic regions in crowded dispersions is not yet fully understood, in particular, it is not clear whether the condensed domains are in the nematic (N) or the columnar (C) state. In this study, we report on small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) measurements of mixtures of aqueous solutions of DSCG with PEG and compare results to measurements of aqueous solutions of pure DSCG. X-ray measurements demonstrate that addition of PEG to DSCG in the N phase triggers appearance of the C phase that coexists with the isotropic (I) phase. Within the coexisting region, the lateral distance between the columns of the chromonic aggregates decreases as the temperature is increased.
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27
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Ogolla T, Paley RS, Collings PJ. Temperature dependence of the pitch in chiral lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals. SOFT MATTER 2018; 15:109-115. [PMID: 30534734 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm02091d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
One of the most simple cases in which chirality at the microscopic level produces a chiral macroscopic structure is the chiral nematic liquid crystal phase. In such a phase, the preferred direction of molecular orientation rotates in helical fashion, with the pitch of the helix in different systems ranging from around 100 nm to as large as can be measured (∼10 mm). For almost all thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals, the ordered entities are formed from strong bonds, so the pitch varies in accordance with how the interactions between these largely immutable entities are affected by changing conditions. A unique exception are lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) that spontaneously form weakly bound assemblies in solution, the size of which depends strongly on experimental parameters. While the temperature dependence of the pitch has been measured for chiral LCLCs formed by short strands of DNA (DNA-LCLCs), such is not the case for chiral LCLCs formed by small molecules. Polarized optical microscopy experiments on small molecule chiral LCLCs reveal the changing assembly size through a temperature dependence of the pitch not typical for many other systems, including the most recent measurements on DNA-LCLCs. In fact, the pitch measurements in small molecule chiral LCLCs strongly increase in value as the temperature is increased and the assemblies shrink in size. Theoretical considerations provide some help in understanding this phenomena, but leave much to be explained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Ogolla
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA. and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
| | - Robert S Paley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
| | - Peter J Collings
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA. and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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28
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Javadi A, Eun J, Jeong J. Cylindrical nematic liquid crystal shell: effect of saddle-splay elasticity. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:9005-9011. [PMID: 30376031 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm01829d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This study introduces cylindrical nematic liquid crystal (LC) shells. Shells as confinement can provide soft matter with intriguing topology and geometry. Indeed, in spherical shells of LCs, rich defect structures have been reported. Avoiding the inherent Plateau-Rayleigh instability of cylindrical liquid-liquid interfaces, we realize the cylindrical nematic LC shell by two different methods: the phase separation in the nematic-isotropic coexistence phase and a cylindrical cavity with a glass rod suspended in the middle. Specifically, the director configurations of lyotropic chromonic LCs (LCLCs) in the cylindrical shell and their energetics are investigated theoretically and experimentally. Unusual elastic properties of LCLCs, i.e., a large saddle-splay modulus, and a shell geometry with both concave and convex curvatures, result in a double-twist director configuration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arman Javadi
- Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea.
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Nastishin Y, Savaryn V, Lychkovskyy E, Yakovlev MY, Vankevych P, Krupych O, Hrabchak V, Boiko O, Nazarenko V, Lavrentovich O. Effect of UV-light irradiation on phase diagram of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal. J Mol Liq 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2017.12.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Gao Q, Zou C, Lu W. Lyotropic Chromonic Mesophases Derived from Metal-Organic Complexes. Chem Asian J 2018; 13:3092-3105. [DOI: 10.1002/asia.201800737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Qin Gao
- Department of Chemistry; South University of Science and Technology of China; Shenzhen Guangdong 518055 P. R. China
| | - Chao Zou
- Department of Chemistry; South University of Science and Technology of China; Shenzhen Guangdong 518055 P. R. China
| | - Wei Lu
- Department of Chemistry; South University of Science and Technology of China; Shenzhen Guangdong 518055 P. R. China
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Berart SD, Tortora L, Finotello D, Zupancic B, Zalar B, Green L, Lavrentovich OD. Order parameters and time evolution of mesophases in the lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal Sunset Yellow FCF by DNMR. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:7277-7286. [PMID: 30140799 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm01221k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Uniaxial order parameters of the nematic and columnar mesophases in the lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal Sunset Yellow FCF have been determined from deuteron nuclear magnetic resonance, where random confinement of the system by the dispersion of aerosil nanoparticles has been performed to help obtain the angular dependent spectra. The long-time evolution study of the order parameters shows that the system requires tens of hours to stabilize after a deep change in temperature, in contrast with the very fast assembly process of the aggregates. Finally, the degree of order of the water molecules, forced by the uniaxial environment, has been determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Diez Berart
- Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
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Thind R, Walker M, Wilson MR. Molecular Simulation Studies of Cyanine-Based Chromonic Mesogens: Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking to Form Chiral Aggregates and the Formation of a Novel Lamellar Structure. ADVANCED THEORY AND SIMULATIONS 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/adts.201800088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Romnik Thind
- Department of Chemistry; Durham University; Lower Mountjoy, Stockton Road Durham DH1 3LE UK
| | - Martin Walker
- Department of Chemistry; Durham University; Lower Mountjoy, Stockton Road Durham DH1 3LE UK
| | - Mark R. Wilson
- Department of Chemistry; Durham University; Lower Mountjoy, Stockton Road Durham DH1 3LE UK
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Romani
- Dipartimento di Fisica, “Sapienza” Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Alberta Ferrarini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Padova, via Marzolo 1, I-35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Cristiano De Michele
- Dipartimento di Fisica, “Sapienza” Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy
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35
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Finner SP, Kotsev MI, Miller MA, van der Schoot P. Continuum percolation of polydisperse rods in quadrupole fields: Theory and simulations. J Chem Phys 2018; 148:034903. [PMID: 29352778 DOI: 10.1063/1.5010979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigate percolation in mixtures of nanorods in the presence of external fields that align or disalign the particles with the field axis. Such conditions are found in the formulation and processing of nanocomposites, where the field may be electric, magnetic, or due to elongational flow. Our focus is on the effect of length polydispersity, which-in the absence of a field-is known to produce a percolation threshold that scales with the inverse weight average of the particle length. Using a model of non-interacting spherocylinders in conjunction with connectedness percolation theory, we show that a quadrupolar field always increases the percolation threshold and that the universal scaling with the inverse weight average no longer holds if the field couples to the particle length. Instead, the percolation threshold becomes a function of higher moments of the length distribution, where the order of the relevant moments crucially depends on the strength and type of field applied. The theoretical predictions compare well with the results of our Monte Carlo simulations, which eliminate finite size effects by exploiting the fact that the universal scaling of the wrapping probability function holds even in anisotropic systems. Theory and simulation demonstrate that the percolation threshold of a polydisperse mixture can be lower than that of the individual components, confirming recent work based on a mapping onto a Bethe lattice as well as earlier computer simulations involving dipole fields. Our work shows how the formulation of nanocomposites may be used to compensate for the adverse effects of aligning fields that are inevitable under practical manufacturing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shari P Finner
- Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 3500 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Mihail I Kotsev
- Department of Chemistry, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Mark A Miller
- Department of Chemistry, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Paul van der Schoot
- Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 3500 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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Orellana AG, Romani E, De Michele C. Speeding up Monte Carlo simulation of patchy hard cylinders. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2018; 41:51. [PMID: 29651630 DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2018-11657-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The hard cylinder model decorated with attractive patches proved to be very useful recently in studying physical properties of several colloidal systems. Phase diagram, elastic constants and cholesteric properties obtained from computer simulations based on a simple hard cylinder model have been all successfully and quantitatively compared to experimental results. Key to these simulations is an efficient algorithm to check the overlap between hard cylinders. Here, we propose two algorithms to check the hard cylinder overlap and we assess their efficiency through a comparison with an existing method available in the literature and with the well-established algorithm for simulating hard spherocylinders. In addition, we discuss a couple of optimizations for performing computer simulations of patchy anisotropic particles and we estimate the speed-up which they can provide in the case of patchy hard cylinders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emanuele Romani
- Dipartimento di Fisica, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185, Roma, Italy
| | - Cristiano De Michele
- Dipartimento di Fisica, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185, Roma, Italy.
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Shirai T, Shuai M, Nakamura K, Yamaguchi A, Naka Y, Sasaki T, Clark NA, Le KV. Chiral lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals composed of disodium cromoglycate doped with water-soluble chiral additives. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:1511-1516. [PMID: 29442119 DOI: 10.1039/c7sm02262j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the pitches of cholesteric liquid crystals prepared by mixing disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) in water with 5 different water-soluble chiral additives. The measurements are based on the Grandjean-Cano wedge cell method. Overall, the twisting effect is weak, and the shortest pitch of 2.9 ± 0.2 μm is obtained using trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline, by which the cholesteric sample is iridescent at certain viewing angles. Freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy (FFTEM) was also performed for the first time on both the nematic and cholesteric phases, revealing that stacked chromonic aggregates are very long, up to a few hundred nm, which explains why cholesteric chromonic liquid crystals hardly have pitches in the visible wavelength region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Shirai
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan.
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Peng C, Guo Y, Turiv T, Jiang M, Wei QH, Lavrentovich OD. Patterning of Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystals by Photoalignment with Photonic Metamasks. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2017; 29:1606112. [PMID: 28295687 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201606112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Revised: 12/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Controlling supramolecular self-assembly in water-based solutions is an important problem of interdisciplinary character that impacts the development of many functional materials and systems. Significant progress in aqueous self-assembly and templating has been demonstrated by using lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) as these materials show spontaneous orientational order caused by unidirectional stacking of plank-like molecules into elongated aggregates. In this work, it is demonstrated that the alignment direction of chromonic assemblies can be patterned into complex spatially-varying structures with very high micrometer-scale precision. The approach uses photoalignment with light beams that exhibit a spatially-varying direction of light polarization. The state of polarization is imprinted into a layer of photosensitive dye that is protected against dissolution into the LCLC by a liquid crystalline polymer layer. The demonstrated level of control over the spatial orientation of LCLC opens opportunities for engineering materials and devices for optical and biological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenhui Peng
- Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Yubing Guo
- Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Taras Turiv
- Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Miao Jiang
- Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Qi-Huo Wei
- Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Oleg D Lavrentovich
- Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
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39
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Cha YJ, Gim MJ, Ahn H, Shin TJ, Jeong J, Yoon DK. Orthogonal Liquid Crystal Alignment Layer: Templating Speed-Dependent Orientation of Chromonic Liquid Crystals. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2017; 9:18355-18361. [PMID: 28489345 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b04188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) have been extensively studied because of the interesting structural characteristics of the linear aggregation of their plank-shaped molecules in aqueous solvents. We report a simple method to control the orientation of LCLCs such as Sunset Yellow (SSY), disodium cromoglycate (DSCG), and DNA by varying pulling speed of the top substrate and temperatures during shear flow induced experiment. Crystallized columns of LCLCs are aligned parallel and perpendicular to the shear direction, at fast and slow pulling speeds of the top substrate, respectively. On the basis of this result, we fabricated an orthogonally patterned film that can be used as an alignment layer for guiding rodlike liquid crystals (LCs) to generate both twisted and planar alignments simultaneously. Our resulting platform can provide a facile method to form multidirectional orientation of soft materials and biomaterials in a process of simple shearing and evaporation, which gives rise to potential patterning applications using LCLCs due to their unique structural characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Jeong Cha
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology and KINC, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology , Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Jun Gim
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology and KINC, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology , Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyungju Ahn
- Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, POSTECH , Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Joo Shin
- UNIST Central Research Facilities & School of Natural Science, UNIST , Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Joonwoo Jeong
- School of Natural Science, UNIST , Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Ki Yoon
- Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology and KINC, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology , Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
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40
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Abstract
Liquid crystals (LCs), because of their long-range molecular ordering, are anisotropic, elastic fluids. Herein, we report that elastic stresses imparted by nematic LCs can dynamically shape soft colloids and tune their physical properties. Specifically, we use giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) as soft colloids and explore the interplay of mechanical strain when the GUVs are confined within aqueous chromonic LC phases. Accompanying thermal quenching from isotropic to LC phases, we observe the elasticity of the LC phases to transform initially spherical GUVs (diameters of 2-50 µm) into two distinct populations of GUVs with spindle-like shapes and aspect ratios as large as 10. Large GUVs are strained to a small extent (R/r < 1.54, where R and r are the major and minor radii, respectively), consistent with an LC elasticity-induced expansion of lipid membrane surface area of up to 3% and conservation of the internal GUV volume. Small GUVs, in contrast, form highly elongated spindles (1.54 < R/r < 10) that arise from an efflux of LCs from the GUVs during the shape transformation, consistent with LC-induced straining of the membrane leading to transient membrane pore formation. A thermodynamic analysis of both populations of GUVs reveals that the final shapes adopted by these soft colloids are dominated by a competition between the LC elasticity and an energy (∼0.01 mN/m) associated with the GUV-LC interface. Overall, these results provide insight into the coupling of strain in soft materials and suggest previously unidentified designs of LC-based responsive and reconfigurable materials.
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42
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Zhang B, Kitzerow HS. Influence of Proton and Salt Concentration on the Chromonic Liquid Crystal Phase Diagram of Disodium Cromoglycate Solutions: Prospects and Limitations of a Host for DNA Nanostructures. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:3250-6. [PMID: 26964003 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b01644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals have recently been suggested for use as a self-organized host for dispersing and aligning self-organized DNA origami nanostructures. However, an appropriate pH value and a suitable cation concentration are necessary to stabilize such nanostructures and to avoid unfolding of the DNA. The present study shows that the nematic and columnar liquid crystal phases appearing in aqueous solutions of disodium cromoglycate are robust against the replacement of deionized water by a neutral or alkaline buffer solution. However, disodium cromoglycate precipitates when an acidic buffer is used or when the concentration of magnesium cations exceeds a critical concentration of about 0.6-0.7 mmol/L.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingru Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Paderborn , Warburger Strasse 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany
| | - Heinz-S Kitzerow
- Department of Chemistry, University of Paderborn , Warburger Strasse 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany
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43
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44
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Magana JR, Homs M, Solans C, Obiols-Rabasa M, Salonen LM, Rodríguez-Abreu C. Self-Assembly and Formation of Chromonic Liquid Crystals from the Dyes Quinaldine Red Acetate and Pyronin Y. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:250-8. [PMID: 26700729 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b10567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The aqueous self-assembly behavior of the dyes Quinaldine red acetate and Pyronin Y in a wide range of concentrations is reported here for the first time. (1)H NMR spectroscopy, polarized-light optical microscopy, and small and wide X-ray scattering were used to get insight into molecular interactions, phase boundaries and aggregate structure. Quinaldine red acetate and Pyronin Y self-organize into unimolecular stacks driven by attractive aromatic interactions. At high concentrations, spatial correlation among the molecular stacks gives rise to nematic liquid crystals in both systems. Quinaldine red acetate additionally produces a rare chromonic O phase built of columnar aggregates with anisotropic cross-section ordered in a rectangular lattice. The O phase changes into a columnar lamellar structure as a result of a temperature-induced phase transition. Results open the possibility of finding chromonic liquid crystals in other commercially available dyes with a similar molecular structure. This would eventually expand the availability of these unique soft materials and thus introduce new applications for marketed dyes.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Magana
- Instituto de Química Avanzada de Cataluña, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IQAC-CSIC), CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Homs
- Instituto de Química Avanzada de Cataluña, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IQAC-CSIC), CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Solans
- Instituto de Química Avanzada de Cataluña, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IQAC-CSIC), CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Obiols-Rabasa
- Division of Physical Chemistry, Lund University , Getingevägen 60, SE-22241 Lund, Sweden
| | - L M Salonen
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory , Av. Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal
| | - C Rodríguez-Abreu
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory , Av. Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal
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45
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Yamaguchi A, Smith GP, Yi Y, Xu C, Biffi S, Serra F, Bellini T, Zhu C, Clark NA. Phases and structures of sunset yellow and disodium cromoglycate mixtures in water. Phys Rev E 2016; 93:012704. [PMID: 26871132 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.93.012704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We study phases and structures of mixtures of two representative chromonic liquid crystal materials, sunset yellow FCF (SSY) and disodium cromoglycate (DSCG), in water. A variety of combinations of isotropic, nematic (N), and columnar (also called M) phases are observed depending on their concentrations, and a phase diagram is made. We find a tendency for DSCG-rich regions to show higher-order phases while SSY-rich regions show lower-order ones. We observe uniform mesophases only when one of the materials is sparse in the N phases. Their miscibility in M phases is so low that essentially complete phase separation occurs. X-ray scattering and spectroscopy studies confirm that SSY and DSCG molecules do not mix when they form chromonic aggregates and neither do their aggregates when they form M phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Yamaguchi
- Soft Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
| | - Gregory P Smith
- Soft Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
| | - Youngwoo Yi
- Soft Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
| | - Charles Xu
- Fairview High School, Boulder, Colorado 80305, USA
| | - Silvia Biffi
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
| | - Francesca Serra
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
| | - Tommaso Bellini
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
| | - Chenhui Zhu
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Noel A Clark
- Soft Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
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46
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Kim JY, Nayani K, Jeong HS, Jeon HJ, Yoo HW, Lee EH, Park JO, Srinivasarao M, Jung HT. Macroscopic alignment of chromonic liquid crystals using patterned substrates. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:10362-6. [DOI: 10.1039/c5cp07570j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Stable alignment of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) is demonstrated, along with an explanation of why such alignment has been difficult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong Yeon Kim
- National Research Laboratory for Organic Opto-Electronic Materials
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Daejeon
- Korea
| | - Karthik Nayani
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Atlanta
- USA
| | - Hyeon Su Jeong
- National Research Laboratory for Organic Opto-Electronic Materials
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Daejeon
- Korea
| | - Hwan-Jin Jeon
- National Research Laboratory for Organic Opto-Electronic Materials
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Daejeon
- Korea
| | - Hae-Wook Yoo
- National Research Laboratory for Organic Opto-Electronic Materials
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Daejeon
- Korea
| | - Eun Hyung Lee
- National Research Laboratory for Organic Opto-Electronic Materials
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Daejeon
- Korea
| | - Jung Ok Park
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Atlanta
- USA
| | - Mohan Srinivasarao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Atlanta
- USA
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
| | - Hee-Tae Jung
- National Research Laboratory for Organic Opto-Electronic Materials
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Daejeon
- Korea
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47
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Peng C, Lavrentovich OD. Chirality amplification and detection by tactoids of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals. SOFT MATTER 2015; 11:7257-63. [PMID: 26238525 DOI: 10.1039/c5sm01632k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Detection of chiral molecules requires amplification of chirality to measurable levels. Typically, amplification mechanisms are considered at the microscopic scales of individual molecules and their aggregates. Here we demonstrate chirality amplification and visualization of structural handedness in water solutions of organic molecules that extends over the scale of many micrometers. The mechanism is rooted in the long-range elastic nature of orientational order in lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) formed in water solutions of achiral disc-like molecules. The nematic LCLC coexists with its isotropic counterpart, forming elongated tactoids; the spatial confinement causes a structural twist even when the material is nonchiral. Minute quantities of chiral molecules such as the amino acid l-alanine and limonene transform the racemic array of left- and right-twisted tactoids into a homochiral set. The left and right chiral enantiomers are readily distinguished from each other as the induced structural handedness is visualized through a simple polarizing microscope observation. The effect is important for developing our understanding of chirality amplification mechanisms; it also might open up new possibilities in biosensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenhui Peng
- Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA.
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48
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Kobzar Y, Tkachenko I, Bliznyuk V, Shekera O, Turiv T, Soroka P, Nazarenko V, Shevchenko V. Synthesis and characterization of fluorinated poly(azomethine ether)s from new core-fluorinated azomethine-containing monomers. Des Monomers Polym 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/15685551.2015.1092007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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49
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Luders D, Oliveira D, Kimura N, Simões M, Palangana A. Order parameter in the nematic–isotropic phase transition. J Mol Liq 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2015.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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50
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Jamali V, Behabtu N, Senyuk B, Lee JA, Smalyukh II, van der Schoot P, Pasquali M. Experimental realization of crossover in shape and director field of nematic tactoids. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2015; 91:042507. [PMID: 25974516 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.91.042507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Spindle-shaped nematic droplets (tactoids) form in solutions of rod-like molecules at the onset of the liquid crystalline phase. Their unique shape and internal structure result from the interplay of the elastic deformation of the nematic and anisotropic surface forces. The balance of these forces dictates that tactoids must display a continuous variation in aspect ratio and director-field configuration. Yet, such continuous transition has eluded observation for decades: tactoids have displayed either a bipolar configuration with particles aligned parallel to the droplet interface or a homogeneous configuration with particles aligned parallel to the long axis of the tactoid. Here, we report the first observation of the continuous transition in shape and director-field configuration of tactoids in true solutions of carbon nanotubes in chlorosulfonic acid. This observation is possible because the exceptional length of carbon nanotubes shifts the transition to a size range that can be visualized by optical microscopy. Polarization micrographs yield the interfacial and elastic properties of the system. Absorbance anisotropy measurements provide the highest nematic order parameter (S=0.79) measured to date for a nematic phase of carbon nanotubes at coexistence with its isotropic phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vida Jamali
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Natnael Behabtu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Bohdan Senyuk
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
| | - J Alex Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
| | - Ivan I Smalyukh
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
- Department of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering Program, and Liquid Crystals Materials Research Center, University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
- Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
| | - Paul van der Schoot
- Polymer Physics Group for Theory of Polymers and Soft Matter Group, Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Leuvenlaan 4, 3584 CE Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Matteo Pasquali
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, The Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
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