Xu, P;
Lan, Y;
Xing, Z;
Eiser, E;
(2018)
Liquid crystalline behaviour of self-assembled LAPONITE®/PLL–PEG nanocomposites.
Soft Matter
, 14
(15)
pp. 2782-2788.
10.1039/c7sm01613a.
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Abstract
Synthetic LAPONITE®–clay particles with platelet-like shape display strong aging when dispersed in aqueous solutions, preventing the latter from reaching their natural liquid-crystalline equilibrium state. Here we introduce a facile method that successfully prevents this aging behaviour and enables accessing the systems’ liquid-crystal and crystalline phases. We graft the comb-like polymer PLL–PEG (poly(L-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol)) onto the clay surfaces from solution, thereby screening the negative surface charges and thus ensuring steric stabilisation. We show zeta-sizer and rheology measurements, respectively, confirming complete steric coating and that aging of dilute samples is completely suppressed even after a year. Using evaporation as a means to concentrate the particles, we observe various liquid crystalline textures under a polarized optical microscope (POM). Upon sequential spreading and drying, we are also able to obtain transparent films with hierarchical architecture.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Liquid crystalline behaviour of self-assembled LAPONITE®/PLL–PEG nanocomposites |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1039/c7sm01613a |
| Publisher version: | http://doi.org/10.1039/c7sm01613a |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10076291 |
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