Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals as materials for optical and biosensing applications

L. Tortora; H.-S. Park; K. Antion; D. Finotello; O. D. Lavrentovich

doi:10.1117/12.714127

12 February 2007 Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals as materials for optical and biosensing applications

L. Tortora, H.-S. Park, K. Antion, D. Finotello, O. D. Lavrentovich

Proceedings Volume 6487, Emerging Liquid Crystal Technologies II; 64870I (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.714127
Event: Integrated Optoelectronic Devices 2007, 2007, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) are formed by molecules with rigid polyaromatic cores and ionic groups at the periphery that form aggregates while in water. Most of the LCLCs are not toxic to the biological cells and can be used as an amplifying medium in real-time biosensors. The detector is based on the principle that the immune aggregates growing in the LCLC bulk trigger the director distortions. Self-assembly of LCLC molecules into oriented structures allows one to use them in various structured films. For example, layer-by-layer electrostatic deposition produces monomolecular layers and stacks of layers of LCLC with long-range in-plane orientational order which sets them apart from the standard Langmuir-Blodgett films. We demonstrate that divalent and multivalent salts as well as acidic and basic materials that alter pH of the LCLC water solutions, are drastically modifying the phase diagrams of LCLC, from shifting the phase transition temperatures by tens of degrees, to causing condensation of the LCLC aggregates into more compact structures, such as birefringent bundles or formation of a columnar hexagonal phase from the nematic phase.

Citation Download Citation

L. Tortora, H.-S. Park, K. Antion, D. Finotello, and O. D. Lavrentovich "Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals as materials for optical and biosensing applications", Proc. SPIE 6487, Emerging Liquid Crystal Technologies II, 64870I (12 February 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.714127

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