Periodic Grating‐like Patterns Induced by Self‐Assembly of Gelator Fibres in Nematic Gels

Periodic Grating‐like Patterns Induced by Self‐Assembly of Gelator Fibres in Nematic Gels

Periodic orientation patterns occurring in nematic gels, revealed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, are found to be formed by spontaneous self‐assembly of fibrous aggregates of a low‐molecular‐weight organogelator in an aligned thermotropic liquid crystal (LC). Self‐organization into peri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemphyschem Vol. 19; no. 12; pp. 1471 - 1475
Main Authors: Topnani, Neha B., Prutha, N., Pratibha, R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 19-06-2018
Subjects:
Aggregates
Assembly
Chemical bonds
Cryo-SEM
Crystal structure
Gelation
Gels
Hydrogen bonding
Liquid crystal gels
Liquid crystals
Molecular chains
Morphology
Nematic
Ordered fibrillar arrays
Organic chemistry
Periodic structures
Scanning electron microscopy
X-ray diffraction
Ordered fibrillar arrays
Cryo-SEM
Hydrogen bonding
Liquid crystal gels
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Summary:Periodic orientation patterns occurring in nematic gels, revealed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, are found to be formed by spontaneous self‐assembly of fibrous aggregates of a low‐molecular‐weight organogelator in an aligned thermotropic liquid crystal (LC). Self‐organization into periodic structures is also reflected in a calorimetric study, which shows the occurrence of three thermoreversible states, namely, isotropic liquid, nematic and nematic gel. The segregation and self‐assembly of the fibrous aggregates leading to pattern formation are attributed to the highly polar LC and to hydrogen bonding between gelator molecules, as shown by X‐ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy. This study aims to investigate in detail the effect of the chemical nature and alignment of an anisotropic solvent on the morphology of the gelator fibres and the resulting gelation process. The periodic organization of LC‐rich and fibre‐rich regions can also provide a way to obtain templates for positioning nanoparticle arrays in an LC matrix, which can lead to novel devices. A structured liquid‐crystal gel consisting of grating‐like orientation patterns is presented.
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ISSN:1439-4235
1439-7641
DOI:10.1002/cphc.201800057