Nematic colloids at liquid crystal-air interfaces <i>via</i> photopolymerization.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32914808.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1039/d0sm01311k.
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Abstract
We demonstrate the preparation of colloidal crystals at nematic liquid crystal-air interfaces by simultaneous photopolymerization and assembly. Polymer colloids are produced by polymerization-induced phase separation of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate in the non-reactive liquid crystal (LC) 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) using an open-cell setup. Colloids adsorbed to the nematic 5CB-air interface form non-close-packed hexagonal crystals that cover the entire interface area. We examine the mechanism of growth and assembly for the preparation of LC-templated interfacial colloidal superstructures.