Lyotropic Liquid Crystal
A liquid crystalline material is called lyotropic if phases having long-ranged orientational order are induced by the addition of a solvent. Historically the term was used to describe materials composed of amphiphilic molecules. Such molecules comprise a water-loving 'hydrophilic' head-group (which may be ionic or non-ionic) attached to a water-hating 'hydrophobic' group. Typical hydrophobic groups are saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon chains. Examples of amphiphilic compounds are the salts of fatty acids, phospholipids. Many simple amphiphiles are used as detergents.
Read more about Lyotropic Liquid Crystal: Amphiphile Self-Assembly, Liquid Crystalline Phases and Composition/Temperature
Other articles related to "lyotropic liquid crystal, liquid, lyotropic liquid, lyotropic, liquid crystal, liquid crystals, lyotropics":
... The simplest liquid crystalline phase that is formed by spherical micelles is the 'micellar cubic', denoted by the symbol I1 ... This lyotropic liquid crystalline phase is known as the 'hexagonal phase', or more specifically the 'normal topology' hexagonal phase and is generally denoted by the symbol HI ... showing the aggregation of amphiphiles into micelles and then into lyotropic liquid crystalline phases as a function of amphiphile concentration and of temperature ...
... A material is called lyotropic if it forms liquid crystal phases upon the addition of a solvent ... Lyotropic liquid crystal phases in these materials are formed by a process of self-assembly that is driven by the hydrophobic effect ... Lyotropic liquid crystal phases are formed on the dissolution of amphiphilic molecules of a material in a solvent ...
... See also Lyotropic liquid crystal and Columnar phase A lyotropic liquid crystal consists of two or more components that exhibit liquid-crystalline properties in certain concentration ranges ... In the lyotropic phases, solvent molecules fill the space around the compounds to provide fluidity to the system ... In contrast to thermotropic liquid crystals, these lyotropics have another degree of freedom of concentration that enables them to induce a variety of different phases ...
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