title: A highly oriented cubic phase formed by lipids under shear.
abstract: We demonstrate the formation of a macroscopically oriented inverse bicontinuous cubic (Q(II)) lipid phase from a sponge (L(3)) phase by controlled hydration during shear flow. The L(3) phase was the monoolein/butanediol/water system; the addition of water reduces the butanediol concentration, inducing the formation of a diamond (Q(II)(D)) cubic phase, which is oriented by the shear flow. The phenomenon was reproduced in both capillary and Couette geometries, indicating that this represents a robust general route for the production of highly aligned bulk Q(II) samples, with applications in nanomaterial templating and protein research.
authors.affiliation: H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, United Kingdom. annela.seddon@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: Annela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Seddon
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lotze
authors.forename: Tomás S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Plivelic
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Squires
mesh_terms: D002072:Butylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D005989:Glycerides / Q000737:chemistry; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D044367:Phase Transition; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D002072:Butylene Glycols; D005989:Glycerides; D008055:Lipids; D014867:Water; C005953:monoolein