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Liquid crystal droplet design by using pseudopeptidic bottlebrush polymer additives
Asha Kumari1, Hanuman Singh2, Sameer Dhawan2
1Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India. aloka.sinha@physics.iitd.ac.in.
Soft Matter
|October 6, 2022
Summary
Amino acid bottlebrush polymers were synthesized to create liquid crystal (LC) droplets for sensing. These novel polymer-LC composites show sensitivity to pH changes, paving the way for advanced chemical sensors.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Liquid Crystal Technology
Background:
- Liquid crystal (LC) droplets are sensitive to surface anchoring changes, enabling optical detection for sensing applications.
- Bottlebrush polymers offer tunable properties for modifying LC behavior within droplets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize amino acid-based bottlebrush polymers.
- To investigate the impact of these polymers on liquid crystal director configurations in droplets.
- To develop novel polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) materials for sensing applications.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of pseudopeptidic bottlebrush polymers via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP).
- Preparation of PDLC samples using the solvent-induced phase separation (SIPS) technique with 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) LC.
- Characterization of polymer impact on droplet configuration and surface energy.
- Investigation of pH sensing capabilities using polarizing optical microscopy (POM).
Main Results:
- Phenyl groups on polymers promoted radial LC configurations via π-π stacking.
- Aliphatic groups induced bipolar droplet arrangements due to repulsion with 5CB.
- PDLC samples exhibited moderate water permeability and sensitivity to varying pH levels.
- The pendant groups significantly influenced PDLC surface characteristics and free energy.
Conclusions:
- Amino acid-based bottlebrush polymers effectively control LC director configurations in PDLC droplets.
- The developed PDLC materials demonstrate potential as sensitive and straightforward chemical sensors.
- This approach offers a simplified method for creating advanced LC-based biosensors and chemical sensors.
