title: Liquid crystalline gel beads of curdlan.
abstract: Curdlan beads consisting of liquid crystalline gel (LCG) and amorphous gel (AG) in alternating layers in a wide range of diameters were newly prepared by interfacial insolubilization reactions using calcium chloride as the setting reagent. The thickness of the liquid crystalline layer was proportional to the diameter of the gel bead, and the proportional constant agreed with that determined for the cylindrical gel prepared by a dialysis method. The proportional constant initially increased with increasing calcium concentration of the dispersing medium and saturated at a high concentration limit. These results suggest that the mechanisms for forming the alternating LCG/AG structures prepared with different boundary conditions are the same. The LCG/AG structure could be controlled by calcium concentration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515, Japan. dobashi@bce.gunma-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dobashi
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshihara
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nobe
authors.forename: Michiru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Konno