Synthesis, analytical performances, thermodynamic and surface properties of two new liquid crystals substituted with poly(ethylene oxide) chains are described. The first of them is N,N'-diphenyl-[4-[2,3,4-tri[2-(2-metoxyethoxy)ethoxy]benzylidene]i mine]piperidine (LC1) and the second is 2-hydroxy-3-methyl-4-[4-[2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethoxy]] 4'-[4-[2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethoxy]styryl]azobenzene (LC2). The nematic ranges of the two liquid crystals, determined by differential scanning calorimetry do not interfere. The analytical and thermodynamic studies of LC1 and LC2 in the solid, nematic and liquid state were done using a series of appropriate solutes. Comparison of the analytical performances shows a better efficiency in the nematic state.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0021-9673(99)00755-4 | DOI Listing |
Soft Matter
January 2025
Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
We report an experimental study on how topological defects induced by cylindrical air inclusions in the ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal RM734 are influenced by ionic doping, including an ionic surfactant and ionic polymer. Our results show that subtle differences in molecular structure can lead to distinct surface alignments and topological defects. The ionic surfactant induces a planar alignment, with two -1/2 line defects adhering to the cylindrical bubble surface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
The past decade witnessed a surge in discoveries where biological systems, such as bacteria or living cells, inherently portray active polar or nematic behavior: they prefer to align with each other and form local order during migration. Although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, utilizing their physical properties to achieve controllable cell-layer transport will be of fundamental importance. In this study, the ratchet effect is harnessed to control the collective motion of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in vitro.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFree Neuropathol
January 2024
Friedman Brain Institute, Departments of Pathology, Neuroscience, and Artificial Intelligence & Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
Cryopreservation, the preservation of tissues at subzero temperatures, is a mainstay of brain banking that allows for the storage of brain tissue without the use of chemical fixatives. This is particularly important for molecular studies that are incompatible with tissue fixation. However, brain tissue is vulnerable to various forms of damage during the cryopreservation process, in particular due to the phase transition of water from a liquid to a solid state with the formation of ice crystals, which can disrupt cellular morphology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Macro Lett
January 2025
Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, United States.
We investigate the impact of poly adenine (poly-A) sequences on the type and stability of liquid crystalline (LC) phases formed by concentrated solutions of gapped DNA (two duplex arms bridged by a flexible single strand) using synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering and polarizing optical microscopy. While samples with mixed sequence form layered (smectic) phases, poly-A samples demonstrate a columnar phase at lower temperatures (5-35 °C), not previously observed in GDNA samples, and a smectic-B phase of exceptional stability at higher temperatures (35-65 °C). We present a model that connects the formation of these LC phases with the unique characteristics of poly-A sequences, which manifest in various biological contexts, including DNA condensation and nucleosome formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States.
Metal flux methods are excellent for synthesizing high-quality hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) crystals, but the atomic mechanisms of hBN nucleation and growth in these systems are poorly understood and difficult to probe experimentally. Here, we harness classical reactive molecular dynamics (ReaxFF) to unravel the mechanisms of hBN synthesis from liquid nickel solvent over time scales up to 30 ns. These simulations mimic experimental conditions by including relatively large liquid nickel slabs containing dissolved boron and a molecular nitrogen gas phase.
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