Journal article
Tailoring the interfaces between nematic liquid crystal emulsions and aqueous phases via layer-by-layer assembly
E Tjipto, KD Cadwell, JF Quinn, APR Johnston, NL Abbott, F Caruso
Nano Letters | Published : 2006
DOI: 10.1021/nl061604p
Abstract
We report the assembly of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films at the interfaces of thermotropic liquid crystal (LC) droplets dispersed in an aqueous phase. Exposure of PEM-coated droplets to surfactant slowed the bipolar-to-radial ordering transition of the LCs by 2 orders of magnitude relative to naked droplets. This shows that PEMs can be used to influence the interactions of analytes with the LC cores of the droplets, allowing tuning of the LC emulsion sensing properties. © 2006 American Chemical Society.