Dilute liquid crystals

Azurmendi, H. F., Bush, C. A. Tracking alignment from the moment of inertia tensor (TRAMITE) of biomolecules in neutral dilute liquid crystal solutions. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 2426-2427. 

The nature of the separating phase above the Krafft eutectic temperature can be anticipated if the overall phase behavior of the system is known (or can be predicted). The most dilute liquid crystal is always the first separating phase which is encountered, but it may be replaced as the temperature is increased by other more concentrated liquid-crystal phases. 

Chiral Lyotropic Discotic Liquid Crystals and Self-Assembly of Chiral Discotics in Dilute Solution... 

CHIRAL LYOTROPIC DISCOTIC LIQUID CRYSTALS AND SELF-ASSEMBLY OF CHIRAL DISCOTICS IN DILUTE SOLUTION... 

One may consider a series of physical states ranging from the crystalline, where molecular aggregation and orientation are large, to the dilute gaseous state, where there are no significant orientational limits. States of intermediate order are represented by micelles, liquid crystals, monolayers, ion pairs, and dipole-dipole complexes. In the crystalline state, the differences between pure enantiomers, racemic modifications, and diastereomeric complexes are clearly defined both structurally and energetically (32,33). At the other extreme, stereospecific interactions between diastereomerically related solvents and solutes, ion pairs, and other partially oriented systems are much less clearly resolved. 

DNAs are soluble only in aqueous solutions and their fibrous crystals can be prepared by slow evaporation from the aqueous solution. Duplex structures in the fibers have been studied by X-ray diffraction [2,3] and sohd state NMR [4-6]. Orientation of DNA strands by using hydrodynamic flow gradients in the dilute aqueous solution [7,8] and lyotropic liquid crystal... 

The addition of salts to micelles gives large micelles that turn into cylindrical shapes. However, the addition of cosurfactant produces the liquid crystal phase. As a consequence, these micellar systems with added cosurfactant are found to undergo several macroscopic phase transitions in dilute solutions. These transitions are as follows ... 

Since their effective diffusivities are of the same magnitude as those of micellar solutions, the hquid crystalUne phases, though viscous, do not significantly hinder surfactant dissolution for these rather hydrophihc surfactants. Indeed, a drop of Ci2(EO)6 having Ro = 78 pm dissolved completely in only 16 s at 30 °C. Rapid dissolution is favored because free energy decreases as the surfactant is transferred from the Hquid surfactant phase L2 to liquid crystals) to aqueous micellar solution and the aggregate shape approaches that of a dilute Li phase, where its free energy is minimized at this temperature. 

The equilibrium in these systems above the cloud point then involves monomer-micelle equilibrium in the dilute phase and monomer in the dilute phase in equilibrium with the coacervate phase. Prediction o-f the distribution of surfactant component between phases involves modeling of both of these equilibrium processes (98). It should be kept in mind that the region under discussion here involves only a small fraction of the total phase space in the nonionic surfactant—water system (105). Other compositions may involve more than two equilibrium phases, liquid crystals, or other structures. As the temperature or surfactant composition or concentration is varied, these regions may be encroached upon, something that the surfactant technologist must be wary of when working with nonionic surfactant systems. 

In this article, we have surveyed typical properties of isotropic and liquid crystal solutions of liquid-crystalline stiff-chain polymers. It had already been shown that dilute solution properties of these polymers can be successfully described by the wormlike chain (or wormlike cylinder) model. We have here concerned ourselves with the properties of their concentrated solutions, with the main interest in the applicability of two molecular theories to them. They are the scaled particle theory for static properties and the fuzzy cylinder model theory for dynamical properties, both formulated on the wormlike cylinder model. In most cases, the calculated results were shown to describe representative experimental data successfully in terms of the parameters equal or close to those derived from dilute solution data. 

The long reaction time needed for this apparendy simple neutralization is on account of the phase inversion that takes place, namely, upon dilution, the soap liquid crystals are dispersed as micelles. Neutralization of the sodium ions with sulfuric acid then reverses the micelles. The reverse micelles have a polar interior and a hydrophobic exterior. They coalesce into oil droplets. 

Cave, Krotinger and McCaleb [60] worked out a general method for preparing explosives in the form of fine crystals. It consists of introducing a hot solution into a cold diluting liquid. 

Solvent Diluting liquid Average crystal size Limits of the crystal size M Ratio (length) (width)... 

The brief data presented in this chapter concerning the initial steps of structure formation in LC polymer solutions, are significant from two viewpoints. On the one hand, the study of these processes provides quantitative information about the molecular parameters and IMM of LC polymers, which is the basis for the understanding and prediction of physico-chemical behaviour of polymeric liquid crystals in bulk. On the other hand, understanding of the features of intramolecular structure formation in dilute solution, reveals broad prospects for the investigation of the formation of lyotropic LC systems of polymers with mesogenic side groups, which is in its infancy 195). 

Results of three typical runs are given in Table I. The product is heterogeneous in character and consists of crystals of solid amalgam mixed with the dilute liquid amalgam. For analysis, samples were removed immediately after electrolysis and allowed to decompose for a period of five to six days in contact with air. The mass... 

From macroscopic observations, it appears that in the DMDBTDMA-dodecane system the nature of the third phase (liquid, gel, or solid) (140) depends to a large extent on the extracted species. In some cases, microphase separations can be obtained, that is, the coexistence of a more crystalline phase with domains of diluted phase that do not separate upon centrifugation. In classical colloidal literature (141), this situation is described as a dispersion of tactoids in the form of small amounts of liquid crystals, giving macroscopically a gel. 

The study of liquid crystals rapidly becomes complex because both the thermotropic and lyotropic types are polymorphic. The lyotropic type exists in at least six phases according to Brown Johnson. Materials of this type generally exhibit a molecular weight in the range of 250-500. Many of these materials are described as lipids, and frequently as phospholipids. On addition of water to a crystal composed of these materials, the molecular structure initially collapses to form a lamellar structure. Further dilution may result in additional structural changes before an isotropic solution is reached. 

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