Liquid crystals anchored on mixed monolayers of chiral versus achiral molecules: continuous change in orientation as a function of enantiomeric excess.

The orientations of liquid crystals (LCs) anchored on monolayers formed from mixtures of chiral versus achiral molecules were compared. Changes in the enantiomeric excess of mixed monolayers of chiral dipeptides gave rise to continuous changes in the orientations of nematic LCs, allowing arbitrary tuning of the azimuthal orientations of LCs over a range of ≈100°. In contrast, the same LCs exhibited discontinuous changes in orientation on surfaces presenting mixtures of achiral molecules.

Imide photodissociation investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy is used to investigate the photodissociation of the imides PMDI (pyromellitic diimide) and SSMCC (sulfosuccinimidyl 4-(N-maleimidomethyl) cyclohexane-1-carboxylate). PMDI contains only one type of imide, and its photodissociation can be explained by a simple conversion from imide to a mix of imine and nitrile after desorption of the oxygens from the imide. SSMCC contains two different imides.

Enantiomeric interactions between liquid crystals and organized monolayers of tyrosine-containing dipeptides.

We have examined the orientational ordering of nematic liquid crystals (LCs) supported on organized monolayers of dipeptides with the goal of understanding how peptide-based interfaces encode intermolecular interactions that are amplified into supramolecular ordering. By characterizing the orientations of nematic LCs (4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl and TL205 (a mixture of mesogens containing cyclohexane-fluorinated biphenyls and fluorinated terphenyls)) on monolayers of l-cysteine-l-tyrosine, l-cysteine-l-phenylalanine, or l-cysteine-l-phosphotyrosine formed on crystallographically textured films of gold, we conclude that patterns of hydrogen bonds generated by the organized monolayers of dipeptides are transduced via macroscopic orientational ordering of the LCs. This conclusion is supported by the observation that the ordering exhibited by the achiral LCs is specific to the enantiomers used to form the dipeptide-based monolayers.

Universal mechanism for breaking amide bonds by ionizing radiation.

The photodissociation of the amide bond by UV light and soft x-rays is investigated by x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the C, N, and O 1s edges. Irradiation leaves a clear and universal signature for a wide variety of amides, ranging from oligopeptides to large proteins and synthetic polyamides, such as nylon. As the π∗ peak of the amide bond shrinks, two new π∗ peaks appear at the N 1s edge with a characteristic splitting of 1.

Recent advances in colloidal and interfacial phenomena involving liquid crystals.

This feature article describes recent advances in several areas of research involving the interfacial ordering of liquid crystals (LCs). The first advance revolves around the ordering of LCs at bio/chemically functionalized surfaces. Whereas the majority of past studies of surface-induced ordering of LCs have involved surfaces of solids that present a limited diversity of chemical functional groups (surfaces at which van der Waals forces dominate surface-induced ordering), recent studies have moved to investigate the ordering of LCs on chemically complex surfaces.

Characterization of surfaces presenting covalently immobilized oligopeptides using near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy.

This study addresses the need for methods that validate the surface chemistry leading to the immobilization of biomolecules and provide information about the resulting structural configurations. We report on the use of near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) to characterize a widely employed immobilization chemistry that leads to the covalent attachment of a biologically relevant oligopeptide to a surface. The oligopeptide used in this study is a kinase substrate of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a protein that is a common target for cancer therapeutics.

Design of surfaces for liquid crystal-based bioanalytical assays.

Surface-induced ordering of liquid crystals (LCs) offers the basis of a label-free analytical technique for the detection of surface-bound biomolecules. The orientation-dependent energy of interaction of a LC with a surface (anchoring energy of LC), in particular, is both sensitive to the presence of surface-bound molecules and easily quantified. Herein, we report a study that analyzes a simple model of twisted nematic LC systems and thereby identifies surfaces with LC anchoring energies in the range of 0.