Stability of cellulose lyotropic liquid crystal emulsions.
We studied a new kind of W/O emulsions based on a lyotropic liquid crystal as the aqueous droplet phase. The cholesteric phase, a solution hydroxypropyl cellulose in water was dispersed in the continuous oil matrix, paraffin oil or heptane. We made a specific choice of surfactant in order to impose director anchoring conditions at the oil-water interface and orient the liquid crystal inside the droplet. The strong anchoring conditions resulted in a topological defect inside the droplets of size above the critical value R(*). The defect elastic energy creates a barrier against droplet coalescence, the effect of topological size selection. We have studied the orientation of the director inside the droplets and their size distribution.
Tixier
T
T
Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.
Heppenstall-Butler
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M
Terentjev
E M
EM
D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D002482:Cellulose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000737:chemistry; D004655:Emulsions / Q000737:chemistry*; D006536:Heptanes / Q000737:chemistry; D010232:Paraffin / Q000737:chemistry; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
D004655:Emulsions; D006536:Heptanes; D011108:Polymers; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C422409:liquid crystal polymer; D014867:Water; D010232:Paraffin; D002482:Cellulose; D002784:Cholesterol; C008079:hydroxypropylcellulose