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Liquid Crystalline Colloidal Mixture of Nanosheets and Rods with Dynamically Variable Length
Riki Kato1, Akira Kakugo2,3, Kazuhiro Shikinaka4
1Department of Material Science and Production Engineering, Graduate School of Fukuoka Institute of Technology, 3-30-1 Wajiro-Higashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 811-0295, Japan.
ACS Omega
|December 18, 2018
Summary
This study introduces novel liquid crystalline colloids using temperature-controlled, length-changing biopolymer microtubules and inorganic nanosheets. This allows for reversible modification of the liquid crystal phase structure by altering rod length.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biophysics
- Colloid Science
Background:
- Liquid crystalline colloids offer tunable properties.
- Controlling mesoscopic structures is key for advanced materials.
- Biopolymers present unique opportunities for dynamic material design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel double-component liquid crystalline colloid.
- To demonstrate dynamic length control of rod components using temperature.
- To investigate the reversible modification of liquid crystal phase structure.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized colloids from mesogenic inorganic nanosheets and biopolymer microtubules.
- Utilized temperature-controlled polymerization/depolymerization of tubulin proteins to alter microtubule length.
- Observed mesoscopic structure changes in response to rod length variation.
Main Results:
- Successfully created double-component liquid crystalline colloids.
- Demonstrated dynamic length control of microtubules via temperature-induced tubulin assembly/disassembly.
- Showcased reversible modification of the liquid crystal phase structure by altering rod length.
Conclusions:
- Novel liquid crystalline colloids with dynamically tunable structures were achieved.
- Temperature-controlled biopolymer length offers a new method for manipulating mesoscopic phases.
- This work opens avenues for responsive and reconfigurable soft materials.
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