Images reproduced by permission of Lia Addadi (outside) and James De Yoreo (inside) Other papers published in this issue include: Molecular dynamics simulations of the interaction of citric acid with the hydroxyapatite (0001) and (01-10) surfaces in an aqueous environment Calcite shape modulation through the lattice mismatch between the self-assembled monolayer template and the nucleated crysta...

based on bent-core molecules B. Atorf, A. Hoischen, M. B. Ros, N. Gimeno, C. Tschierske, G. Dantlgraber, and H. Kitzerow Department of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Warburger Str. 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany Quı́mica Orgánica, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón – Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Zaragoza, C.S.I.C. 50009 Zaragoza, Spain Institute of Chemistry, Organic Chemis...

Herein we report the synthesis and characterization of light responsive metal organic framework (MOF) single crystals containing the photochromic diarylethene 1,2-bis(2,5-dimethyl-thien-3-yl)perfluorocyclopentene. Polarized light microscopy on single crystals indicates that the photochrome is preferentially aligned along the c-axis of the host.

The organic monolayer colloidal crystals, which are usually prepared by self-assembling, could be used as templates, due to their interstitial geometry, for the periodically arranged nanostructured arrays, which have important applications in many fields, such as photonic crystals, information storage, super-hydrophobicity, biological and chemical sensing. Obviously, the structures of the obtai...

Liquid crystals are mostly formed by self-assembly of organic molecules. In contrast, inorganic materials available as liquid crystals are limited. Here we report the development of liquid-crystalline (LC) hydroxyapatite (HAp), which is an environmentally friendly and biocompatible biomineral. Its alignment behavior, magneto-optical properties, and atomic-scale structures are described. We succ...

In the search for macromolecular crystallization conditions, the precipitant is probably the most important variable, such that when problematic crystals are encountered there is always the question of whether an alternative precipitant might resolve the problem. During an effort to obtain high-quality crystals of several problematic proteins, two new agents, pentaerythritol propoxylate and pen...

PDLCs consist of liquid crystal droplets that are dispersed in a solid polymer matrix. The resulting material is a sort of "swiss cheese" polymer with liquid crystal droplets filling in the holes. These tiny droplets (a few microns across for practical applications) are responsible for the unique behavior of the material. By changing the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules with an elect...

In our previous study of steady states and dynamics of two-dimensional nematic liquid crystal polymers under an imposed weak shear [1], we carried out multiscale asymptotic expansions [2, 3] to reveal the slow time evolution of the polymer orientation distribution. In the two-dimensional case, the orientation of a polymer rod is represented by angle θ [4–6]. Let ρ(θ, t) denote the probability d...

Liquid crystals are rigid organic molecules that exhibit orientational behavior on surfaces. The orientation of liquid crystals can be controlled by the design of surfaces with regular nanoscale features and/or defined chemistries. The orientation of liquid crystals on such surfaces can be exploited to sensitively report the binding of proteins to the surface [1-6]. Liquid crystal based detecti...

Recent progress in the development of holographic gratings for neutron-optics applications is reviewed. We summarize the properties of gratings recorded in deuterated (poly)methylmethacrylate, holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystals and nanoparticle-polymer composites revealed by diffraction experiments with slow neutrons. Existing and anticipated neutron-optical instrumentations based on...