Reversed liquid crystalline mesophases, such as the reversed bicontinuous cubic, reversed hexagonal or reversed micellar cubic phase, are nowadays widely studied due to their potential applications in, for instance, the controlled delivery of functional molecules. In order to design the adequate mesophase delivery system for a specific application, the crystallographic structure of the phase ha...

Fluoro substitution in thermotropic liquid crystals provides a general way of modifying the properties of a parent system. Transition temperatures, mesophase types and other physical properties can be affected by fluoro substitution, so that frequently the behaviors of the parent compound can be manipulated and improved in a predictable manner. This paper discusses the effects of a fluoro subst...

β-Amino triphenylenes can be accessed via palladium catalyzed amination of the corresponding triflate using benzophenone imine. Transformation of amine 6 to benzoyl amide 18 is also straightforward, and its wide mesophase range demonstrates that the new linkage supports columnar liquid crystal formation. Amine 6 also undergoes clean aerobic oxidation to give a new twinned structure linked throu...

Mesophase separation has been identified in a polycation/anionic-nonionic mixed micelle system formed by the coacervation of poly(diallyldimethylammoniumchloride)/sodium dodecylsulfate-Triton X-100 in 0.40 M NaCl. The resultant dense, optically clear fluid was studied by turbidity, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and rheology. The presence of two diffusion modes in DLS points to microscopic het...

Membrane proteins play vital roles in the life of the cell and are important therapeutic targets. Producing them in large quantities, pure and fully functional is a major challenge. Many promising projects end when intractable aggregates or precipitates form. Here we show how such unfolded aggregates can be solubilized and the solution mixed with lipid to spontaneously self-assemble a bicontinu...

We report the synthesis of a new nanocrystal (NC) mesophase through self-assembly of water-soluble NC micelles with soluble silica. The mesophase comprises gold nanocrystals arranged within a silica matrix in a face-centered cubic lattice with cell dimensions that are adjustable through control of the nanocrystal diameter and/or the alkane chain lengths of the primary alkanethiol stabilizing li...

The synthesis of star-shaped discotic liquid crystal trimers using Co2(CO)8-catalyzed terminal alkyne [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction is reported. The trimers consist of three triphenylene discotic units linked to a central 1,2,4-trisubstituted benzene ring via flexible spacers. The trimers were synthesized in the yields up to 70% by mixing the monomers with 10 mol % of Co2(CO)8 as the catal...

A phase diagram of argon based upon percolation transition loci determined from literature experimental p-V isotherms, and simulation values using a Lennard-Jones model shows three fluid phases. The liquid phase spans all temperatures, from a metastable amorphous ground state at 0 K, to ultra-high T. There is a supercritical mesophase bounded by percolation transition loci, and a gas phase. Int...