Design of Biomolecular Interfaces Using Liquid Crystals Containing Oligomeric Ethylene Glycol

Authors:
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
An investigation of nematic liquid crystals (LCs) formed from miscible mixtures of 4‐cyano‐4′‐pentylbiphenyl (5CB) and 2‐(2‐[2‐{2‐(2,3‐difluoro‐4‐{4‐(4‐trans‐pentylcyclohexyl)‐phenyl‐phenoxy)ethoxy}ethoxy]ethoxy)ethanol (EG4‐LC) is reported, the latter being a mesogen with a tetra(ethylene glycol) tail. Quantitative characterization of the ordering of this LC mixture at biologically relevant aqueous interfaces reveals that addition of EG4‐LC (1%–5% by weight) to 5CB causes a continuous transition in the ordering of the LC from a planar (pure 5CB) to a perpendicular (homeotropic) orientation. The homeotropic ordering is also seen in aqueous dispersions of micrometer‐sized droplets of the LC mixture, which exhibit enhanced stability against coalescence. These observations and others, all of which suggest partitioning of the EG4‐LC from the bulk of the LC to its aqueous interface, are complemented by measurements of the adsorption of bovine serum albumin to the aqueous–LC interface. Overall, the results demonstrate a general and facile approach to the design of LCs with interfaces that present biologically relevant chemical functional groups, assume well‐defined orientations at aqueous interfaces, and lower non‐specific protein adsorption. The bulk of the LC serves as a reservoir of EG4‐LC, thus permitting easy preparation of these interfaces and the potential for spontaneous repair of the EG4‐decorated interfaces during contact with biological systems.

This publication has 51 references indexed in Scilit: