Characterization of Novel Surfactant Molecules for Liquid Crystal Phase Triggering

Liquid crystal systems have the potential to produce macroscopic reactions from microscopic stimuli, making them exciting systems for triggered assemblies. Such triggerable systems are a cornerstone of biological systems’ ability to respond to their environment. Here, we use a novel surfactant composed of a trimer of amphiphilic molecules. These trimeric surfactants have three hydrophobic tails, with one tail varying in length. We have characterized the phase of the liquid crystal, 5CB, in spherical droplets as a function of surfactant type, surfactant concentration, and the diameter of the 5CB droplet. We find that small droplets, less than 11 µm in diameter, with high surfactant concentration, are more likely to be in the radial phase. We also find that the concentration and droplet sizes for the phase transition depended on the variable tail length.