Objective: Liquid crystals are special state of matters which have regularity of solid arrangement but had a liquid-like flow characteristics. Collagen is a biopolymer that qualified for requirements as the system of a liquid crystal because it is mesogenic and rigid in a triple-helix section. There are various sources of collagen that have been used; one of them is snakehead fish skin (Channa striata).
Methods: The stages of research were collagen isolation, collagen identification, liquid crystals formation, and characterization. Collagen liquid crystals were formed by lyotropic method using 0.5 M acetic acid and treated with and without sonication at 30, 60, and 80 mg/ml concentrations. The formation of Liquid crystal phase characterized by using Polarization Ligh microscopy.
Results: Mesophase analysis using polarized light microscope showed the presence of cholesteric phase (fingerprint pattern) which seen from the lowest concentration used in this study (30 mg/ml). The increasing of collagen concentration and sonication treatment can trigger the formation of clearly liquid crystal cholesteric phase under polarized light microscope. Infrared spectra of collagen liquid crystals both sonicated or not, showed no change in triple-helix.
Conclusion: The formation of lyotropic liquid crystal of collagen from snakehead fish skin showed the cholesteric pattern without changing the triple-helix collagen structure
