Thermotropic Liquid Crystal-Assisted Chemical and Biological Sensors.

In this review article, we analyze recent progress in the application of liquid crystal-assisted advanced functional materials for sensing biological and chemical analytes. Multiple research groups demonstrate substantial interest in liquid crystal (LC) sensing platforms, generating an increasing number of scientific articles. We review trends in implementing LC sensing techniques and identify common problems related to the stability and reliability of the sensing materials as well as to experimental set-ups.

Influence of meso-substituted tetraphenylporphyrin derivatives structure on their supramolecular organization in floating layers and Langmuir-Blodgett films.

To study the influence of structure peculiarities of porphyrin derivatives on their supramolecular organization in thin films, 15 new meso-substituted tetraphenylporphyrin derivatives and their metal complexes with substituents (-OC(4)H(9) or -OC(16)H(33)) in para or ortho positions were studied. The films of the studied compounds were obtained by the Langmuir-Schaefer method. The behavior of porphyrin derivatives at the water-air interface was analyzed, and the conformity of the influence of molecular structure on supramolecular organization in floating layers and Langmuir-Blodgett films was defined.

Thermodynamics of solution in liquid crystalline poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers by inverse gas chromatography.

Thermodynamic characteristics of infinitely diluted solutions of n-alkanes and n-alcohols in the columnar and isotropic phases of poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers, generations 1-3 (G1-G3), have been investigated by inverse gas chromatography (IGC). Effects of the dendrimer structure, the chemical nature and molecular size of the non-mesogenes on the ability to get dissolved in the liquid crystalline phases are discussed. The compatibility of the low-molecular compounds with the anisotropic phases is stated to increase with generation G.

[Method and equipment for detection of pathogenic microorganisms using tracking analytical membranes].

Method for detection of pathogenic microorganisms in different microbiological assays (water, faeces, punctate etc.) has been developed. Device for preparation of samples and filtration of studied material through transparent tracking membranes with fixed size of pores and subsequent microscopy of filtrate was developed also as well as device for filtration of different liquids in closed cylinder under pressure.

[The use of contact thermography for evaluating joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis].

The paper is concerned with the results of a study of the hand joints in patients with different variants of a course and activity of rheumatoid arthritis by a method of contact liquid crystal thermography. Methods for assessment of thermography taking account of qualitative and quantitative indices were described. They showed correlation with a degree of disease activity, the presence of the rheumatoid factor, extraarticular symptoms and a time-period.