Surfactant Modulated Phase Transitions of Liquid CrystalsConfined in Electrospun Coaxial Fibers
2020
Confinement of liquid
crystals (LCs) in polymeric fibers offers
a promising strategy to control liquid crystal response to external
stimuli. Here, the confinement of 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl
(5CB), a nematic liquid crystal, within the core of coaxially electrospun
fibers composed of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) containing different
surfactants is discussed. The effects of surfactant type, surfactant
concentration, and core flow rate (confinement) on the LC behavior
were demonstrated using polarized optical microscopy, scanning electron
microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, Raman, and dielectric
spectroscopy. Introduction of surfactant dopants of varying hydrophilic
and hydrophobic components into the sheath altered the interfacial
interaction between the PVP sheath and the 5CB core of the fibers.
Significant effects on the LC nematic to isotropic phase transition
were attributed to changes in surface anchoring between the sheath
and core. Confinement of nematic LCs in surfactant doped polymeric
fibers demonstrates a facile method for tuning LC phase behavior.
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