• Title/Summary/Keyword: Thermotropic LC.

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Liquid Crystal-based Imaging of Biomolecular Interactions at Roller Printed Protein Surfaces

  • Park, Min-Kyung;Jang, Chang-Hyun
    • Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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    • v.31 no.5
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    • pp.1223-1227
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    • 2010
  • In this study, the orientational behavior of thermotropic liquid crystals (LC) supported on a film of protein receptors was examined. Avidin was roller printed and covalently immobilized onto the surface of gold using NHS/EDC chemistry. The orientation of nematic 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) was found to be parallel to the plane of the printed avidin surface before incubation with a solution of biotin. However, protein-receptor complexation induced a random orientation of 5CB, where protein-receptor complexes disturbed the nanoscale topography of the printed protein surface. Atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry was used to confirm printing and the specific interaction of proteins. These results demonstrate that the combination of LC and roller printing can be used to detect specific interactions between biomolecules by manipulating the orientational behavior of LC to the printed protein surfaces.

The Physical Properties of Thermotropic Side-Chain Triblock Copolymers of n-Butyl Acrylate and a Comonomer with Azobenzene Group

  • Dan, Kyung-Sik;Kim, Byoung-Chul;Han, Yang-Kyoo
    • Macromolecular Research
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    • v.17 no.5
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    • pp.313-318
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    • 2009
  • The side chain liquid crystal triblock copolymers (TBCs), which underwent phase transitions below their decomposition temperature, were prepared by copolymerization of poly(n-butyl acrylate) and a comonomer containing the mesogenic azobenzene group. The physical properties of TBCs in the distinctive transition temperature ranges were investigated in terms of the liquid crystal (LC) content in the copolymers. The phase transition temperatures traced optically, thermally and rheologically were well coincided one another and clearly exhibited the phase transition of smectic-nematic-isotropic with increasing temperature. In the smectic phase, increasing temperature made the liquid crystal system more elastic, but viscosity (${\eta}'$) remained almost constant. In the nematic phase, increasing temperature abruptly decreased ${\eta}'$ and G', ultimately leading to isotropic phase. Both smectic and nematic phases exhibited Bingham viscosity behavior but the former gave much greater yield stress at the same LC content.

Liquid Crystal Based Optical Sensor for Imaging Trypsin Activity at Interfaces Between Aqueous Phases and Thermotropic Liquid Crystals

  • Zhang, Minmin;Jang, Chang-Hyun
    • Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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    • v.34 no.10
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    • pp.2973-2977
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    • 2013
  • In this study, we developed a liquid crystal (LC)-based optical sensor for monitoring enzymatic activity through orientational changes in liquid crystals (LCs) coupled to the properties of a poly-${\small{L}}$-lysine (PLL)-based polymeric membrane. We prepared a PLL-based polymeric membrane at the planar interface between the thermotropic liquid crystal and aqueous phases. The PLL-based polymeric membrane was obtained by contacting the PLL solution with water immiscible LCs, 4-cyano-4'-pentyl-biphenyl (5CB) doped with adipoyl chloride. We then investigated the membrane properties by examining the permeability of the membrane to phospholipids, 1,2-didodecanoyl-rac-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DLPC). The permeability of the membrane to transport phospholipids was monitored through the orientational transition of 5CB in contact with the dispersions of DLPC. Since trypsin can enzymatically catalyze the hydrolysis of PLL, we incubated an aqueous trypsin solution with the membrane for 2 h at room temperature to cause an increase in the permeability of the polymeric membrane to DLPC. As a result, a bright to dark optical shift of LCs was observed, which implied that an enzymatic reaction between trypsin and PLL-based membrane occurred. Two control experiments using chymotrypsin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) revealed no sign of improved permeability based on the orientational transition of LCs.

Raman and Fluorescence Studies of Thermotropic Liquid-Crystalline Oligomers with Different Type of Coils

  • Chae, Jong-Bok;Yu, Soo-Chang;Lee, Youn-Sik
    • Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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    • v.28 no.2
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    • pp.193-199
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    • 2007
  • Raman and fluorescence spectroscopies were employed to study the coil effects on the intermolecular structure of a rod-coil liquid crystalline (LC) oligomer, the esterification products of ethyl 4-[4'-oxy-4-biphenylcarbonyloxy]- 4'-biphenylcarboxylate with poly(propylene)oxides (PPO) (DP=12) and poly(ethylene oxide)s (PEO) (DP=12). Three different vibrational modes (carbonyl, aromatic C-H, and aromatic C=C) obtained from the Raman experiment at variable temperature indicate that PPO and PEO coils induce the hydrogen bonding in a different manner. Further information about the micro-environment around the mesogenic unit obtained by fluorescence excitation spectra of P12-4 (LC with PPO coil) and 12-4 (LC with PEO coil) suggests that the mesogenic unit of P12-4 is quite different from that of 12-4 in intermolecular structure. This study supports the results obtained only from Raman spectroscopy, providing more accurate information about the intermolecular structural changes of liquid crystalline polymers at a molecular level during the phase transitions.

High-Contrast Imaging of Biomolecular Interactions Using Liquid Crystals Supported on Roller Printed Protein Surfaces

  • Park, Min-Kyung;Jang, Chang-Hyun
    • Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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    • v.33 no.10
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    • pp.3269-3273
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    • 2012
  • In this study, we report a new method for the high contrast imaging of biomolecular interactions at roller printed protein surfaces using thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs). Avidin was roller printed and covalently immobilized onto the obliquely deposited gold surface that was decorated with carboxylic acid-terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The optical response of LCs on the roller printed film of avidin contrasted sharply with that on the obliquely deposited gold surface. The binding of biotin-peroxidase to the roller printed avidin was then investigated on the obliquely deposited gold substrate. LCs exhibited a non-uniform and random orientation on the roller printed area decorated with the complex of avidin and biotin-peroxidase, while LCs displayed a uniform and planar orientation on the area without roller printed proteins. The orientational transition of LCs from uniform to non-uniform state was triggered by the erasion of nanometer-scale topographies on the roller printed surface after the binding of biotin-peroxidase to the surface-immobilized avidin. The specific binding events of protein-receptor interactions were also confirmed by atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry. These results demonstrate that the roller printing of proteins on obliquely deposited gold substrates could provide a high contrast signal for imaging biomolecular interactions using LC-based sensors.

Pseudo Liquid Crystallinity and Characteristics of PHB/PEN/PET Melt Blend (PHB/PEN/PET 삼상계 용융혼합물의 의사액정상 및 특성연구)

  • 박재기;정봉재;김성훈
    • Polymer(Korea)
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    • v.24 no.1
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    • pp.113-123
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    • 2000
  • Poly(p-hydroxybenzoate) (PHB)/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) 8/2 thermotropic liquid crystalline copolyester, poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PEN) and PET were mechanically blended to obtain the pseudo liquid crystalline (LC) phase of ternary blends. The torque values of blends with increasing PHB content were abruptly decreased above 40 wt% of PHB content, because the melt viscosity of ternary blends decreased. Tensile strength and initial modulus of blends containing above 30 wt% PHB were improved with increasing PHB content. Tensile strength and modulus of fiber were increased with PHB contents and take-up speed. Degree of transesterification and randomness of blends were increased with blending time. The blend of 40 wt% PHB was shown pseudo LC phase in the polarized optical photographs. Crystallinity of PHB/PEN/PET ternary blend were increased with PHB content.

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Synthesis, Molecular Structure and Mesomorphic Phase Behavior of${\eta}^1$-Benzylideneaniline Palladium(II) Complexes

  • Yu, Yong Sik;Im, Jun Hwan;Han, Bong Hwan;Lee, Myeong Su;Choe, Mun Geun
    • Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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    • v.22 no.12
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    • pp.1350-1360
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    • 2001
  • The synthesis and characterization of very stable Pd(Ⅱ) η1-imine complexes of bis(3,4-dialkyloxybenzylidene-3', 4'-dialkyloxyaniline)dichloropalladium(Ⅱ) with alkyl chain of hexyl (8), octyl (9), decyl (10) and dodecyl (11) groups, a nd of bis(4-ethyloxybenzylidene-4'-ethyloxyaniline)dichloropalladium(Ⅱ) as a model complex are described. The molecular structure with twisted board-like geometry of the complex resulting from the coordination of Pd(Ⅱ) with η1-imine bonding was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis of the model complex. In contrast to the imine ligands, all the complexes with an exception of 11 display a thermally stable monotropic smectic A mesophase without any decomposition of the complex. These results, characterized by a combination of differential scanning calorimetry, optical polarized microscopy, and powder X-ray scattering experiments, are discussed.

Liquid Crystalline Aromatic Polyesters (액정성 전방향족 폴리에스테르)

  • Kwon Young-Wan;Choi Dong Hoon;Jin Jung-Il
    • Polymer(Korea)
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    • v.29 no.6
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    • pp.523-535
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    • 2005
  • Linear aromatic polyesters are representative examples of thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers (TLCPs), which have been the subject of many researches. This article reviews the structure-LC properties relationship in wholly aromatic CLCPs mostly based on the results obtained for the past quarter of a century. Especially, this review deals with the structural details of aromatic polyester TLCPs that influence the liquid crystalline and thermal properties. In the last part of this article the liquid crystalline properties of combined type and hyperbranched polyester also are discussed. Introduction to various synthetic methods are included in the last section.