1 research outputs found
Surfactant-Driven Assembly of Poly(ethylenimine)-Coated Microparticles at the Liquid Crystal/Water Interface
Microparticles
sitting at interfaces formed by a liquid crystal
(LC) and water are known to self-assemble into distinct patterns.
In this study, we observed that poly(ethylenimine)- (PEI-) coated
microparticles are able to self-assemble at LC/water interfaces decorated
with surfactants such as Tween 20 and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS).
Interestingly, assemblies of microparticles strongly depend on the
types of surfactants used and how surfactants adsorb on the PEI-coated
microparticles. For example, adsorption of Tween 20 on the PEI-coated
microparticles causes the microparticles to form short chains that
follow the director field of the LC. In contrast, adsorption of SDS
causes the microparticles to assemble into circular rings that encompass
domains saturated with SDS. Such surfactant-driven assembly of microparticles
offers a possible method for directing the assembly of microparticles.
It can also be applied for the visual detection of lipases that hydrolyze
Tween 20 in water