title: Topological defects in liquid crystals as templates for molecular self-assembly.
abstract: Topological defects in liquid crystals (LCs) have been widely used to organize colloidal dispersions and template polymerization, leading to a range of assemblies, elastomers and gels. However, little is understood about molecular-level assembly processes within defects. Here, we report that nanoscopic environments defined by LC topological defects can selectively trigger processes of molecular self-assembly. By using fluorescence microscopy, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and super-resolution optical microscopy, we observed signatures of molecular self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules in topological defects, including cooperativity, reversibility and controlled growth. We also show that nanoscopic o-rings synthesized from Saturn-ring disclinations and other molecular assemblies templated by defects can be preserved by using photocrosslinkable amphiphiles. Our results reveal that, in analogy to other classes of macromolecular templates such as polymer-surfactant complexes, topological defects in LCs are a versatile class of three-dimensional, dynamic and reconfigurable templates that can direct processes of molecular self-assembly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1691, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaoguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1691, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1691, USA.
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bukusoglu
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: de Pablo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1691, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Abbott
mesh_terms: D001896:Boron Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D002616:Chemical Engineering / Q000379:methods; D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: C095489:4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene; D001896:Boron Compounds; D003102:Colloids