Dynamic behavior of liquid crystals of amphiphiles having oxyethylene and mesogen units in water

Abstract

Amphiphiles having thermotropic mesogen and oxyethylene units in the hydrophobic di-chain were synthesized, and examined on its lyotropic liquid crystal behavior in water. After preparation of a fresh mixture of amphiphiles and water, gradual generation and sudden collapse of the lamellar liquid crystal textures were observed with elapsing time. As the behavior was found to occur without any change in chemical structures of amphiphiles by 1H-NMR measurement, the dynamic liquid crystal behavior was expected to result from phase transition from lamellar to another isotropic phase.