Stabilization of lamellar oil–water liquid crystals by surfactant/ co-surfactant monolayers

Abstract

LIQUID crystals are divided into two main classes, thermotropic and lyotropic. Thermotropic liquid crystals are formed by melting, whereas lyotropic liquid crystals arise from the association of molecules, such as soap and water, that in general are not in themselves liquid crystalline. Thermotropic liquid crystals are used for liquid-crystal displays; lyotropic liquid crystals occur in living cells. Here we report a novel sequence of lyotropic liquid crystals comprising alternate layers of oil and water whose thickness varies linearly with the relative proportions of oil and water, and we have determined their structure using neutron diffraction methods. The oil and water layers are separated and stabilized by a monolayer film of surfactant and co-surfactant. The individual layers are typically a hundred angstroms or more in thickness, and total lamellar spacings of up to 1,000 A were observed. This behaviour is difficult to describe in terms of the theories of colloid stability currently used to describe lyotropic liquid crystals. An understanding of the self-organization of such systems over such large distances would elucidate how long-range liquid-crystalline ordering arises in living cells. Moreover, thermotropic liquid crystals are expensive and chemically relatively unstable, and lamellar mesophases of the lyotopic type described here could lead to inexpensive, chemically stable liquid-crystalline materials suitable for industrial application.