Liquid crystals are one of the most fascinating soft matter with extensive applications in electronic displays owing to their optical properties. Their long-range orientational order and reorganizing abilities are well studied with a solid interface. However, the cooperative reorientation (anchoring) of liquid crystals at an interface with water in response to subtle molecular level change is still puzzling. It is known that surfactants, polymers, and amphiphiles can adsorb at the liquid crystal-water interface and induce a homeotropic anchoring. Although, we lack the structural design guidelines for these molecules to predict the anchoring behavior. To resolve this problem, we have systematically designed and synthesized a library of amphiphiles and tested the effect of various structural factors such as variable aliphatic tail length, linker rigidity on the anchoring behavior. This unravels how the cooperative association of amphiphiles seen in a three-dimensional system manifests itself in the two-dimensional system. In addition, it broadens the understanding of the molecular design and helps with predicting the anchoring behavior of stimuli-responsive amphiphiles. We have developed protein-sensitive amphiphiles that show homeotropic anchoring at the liquid crystal-water interface and exhibits planar anchoring upon the introduction of a protein. This system can be used to sense various levels of protein concentrations and has future applications in biomolecular sensing.

Anchoring transitions induced by stimuli-responsive amphiphiles at the liquid crystal-water interface

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

[Author Benefits](https://scimeetings.acs.org/?utm_source=pubs_content_marketing&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=0320_MCF_NPI_Launch_Spring_Homepage&ref=pubs_content_marketing)

[How to use SciMeetings](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMeetings-ACSSpring2020-HowToGuide_M3020-Final.pdf)

[Frequently Asked Questions](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMtng_ACSNMSp2020_FAQ_M3120_Final.pdf)

ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.