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Lyotropic hexagonal columnar liquid crystals of large colloidal gibbsite platelets
Maurice C D Mourad1, Andrei V Petukhov, Gert Jan Vroege
1Van 't Hoff Laboratory for Physical and Colloid Chemistry, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. m.mourad@ucl.ac.uk
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|August 18, 2010
Summary
Large colloidal platelets form hexagonal liquid crystal phases, exhibiting iridescence due to aligned columns. Gravitational compaction influences these structures, affecting column orientation and diameter.
Area of Science:
- Colloid science
- Materials science
- Liquid crystals
Background:
- Colloidal suspensions can form ordered phases.
- Platelet-shaped colloids present unique self-assembly challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the formation of liquid crystal phases in large colloidal platelets.
- To characterize the structure and properties of these phases.
Main Methods:
- Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)
- Polarization microscopy
- Thin cell experiments
Main Results:
- Formation of hexagonal columnar liquid crystal phases observed.
- Strong iridescence due to hexagonally arranged columns aligned perpendicularly to cell walls.
- Evidence of orientational fluctuations, decoupling of platelet orientation and column axis, and column undulations.
Conclusions:
- Gravitational compaction plays a significant role in the observed phenomena.
- These effects are more pronounced vertically and towards the bottom of the system.
- Understanding these structures is crucial for colloidal self-assembly and materials design.
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