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Peng S, Guo Q, Hughes TC, et al. Reversible photorheological lyotropic liquid crystals. Langmuir. 2013;30(3):866-72doi: 10.1021/la4030469.
Peng, S., Guo, Q., Hughes, T. C., & Hartley, P. G. (2014). Reversible photorheological lyotropic liquid crystals. Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids, 30(3), 866-72. https://doi.org/10.1021/la4030469
Peng, Shuhua, et al. "Reversible photorheological lyotropic liquid crystals." Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids vol. 30,3 (2014): 866-72. doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/la4030469
Peng S, Guo Q, Hughes TC, Hartley PG. Reversible photorheological lyotropic liquid crystals. Langmuir. 2014 Jan 28;30(3):866-72. doi: 10.1021/la4030469. Epub 2013 Sep 25. PMID: 24011217.
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Langmuir. 2014 Jan 28;30(3):866-72. doi: 10.1021/la4030469. Epub 2013 Sep 25.

Reversible photorheological lyotropic liquid crystals.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids

Shuhua Peng, Qipeng Guo, Timothy C Hughes, Patrick G Hartley

Affiliations

  1. Polymers Research Group, Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University , Locked Bag 2000, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia.

PMID: 24011217 DOI: 10.1021/la4030469

Abstract

We describe novel lyotropic liquid-crystalline (LLC) materials based on photoresponsive amphiphiles that exhibit rapid photoswitchable rheological properties of unprecedented magnitude between solidlike and liquidlike states. This was achieved through the synthesis of a novel azobenzene-containing surfactant (azo-surfactant) that actuates the transition between different LLC forms depending on illumination conditions. Initially, the azo-surfactant/water mixtures formed highly ordered and viscous LLC phases at 20-55 wt % water content. Spectroscopic, microscopic, and rheological analysis confirmed that UV irradiation induced the trans to cis isomerization of the azo-surfactant, leading to the disruption of the ordered LLC phases and a dramatic, rapid decrease in the viscosity and modulus resulting in a 3 orders of magnitude change from a solid (20,000 Pa) to a liquid (50 Pa) at rate of 13,500 Pa/s. Subsequent exposure to visible light reverses the transition, returning the viscosity essentially to its initial state. Such large, rapid, and reversible changes in rheological properties within this LLC system may open a door to new applications for photorheological fluids.

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