title: Lyotropic smectic B phase formed in suspensions of charged colloidal platelets.
abstract: Here, we present the first observation of a smectic B (Sm(B)) phase in a system of charged colloidal gibbsite platelets suspended in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The use of DMSO, a polar aprotic solvent, leads to a long range of the electrostatic Coulomb repulsion between platelets. We believe this to be responsible for the formation of the layered liquid crystalline phase consisting of hexagonally ordered particles, that is, the Sm(B) phase. We support our finding by high-resolution X-ray scattering experiments, which additionally indicate a high degree of ordering in the Sm(B) phase.
authors.affiliation: Van't Hoff Laboratory, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. D.Kleshchanok@uu.nl
authors.forename: Dzina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kleshchanok
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holmqvist
authors.forename: Janne-Mieke
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.forename: Henk N W
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Lekkerkerker