TY - JOUR
T1 - Multi-scale characterization of lyotropic liquid crystals using 2H and diffusion MRI with spatial resolution in three dimensions
AU - Bernin, Diana
AU - Koch, Vanessa
AU - Nydén, Magnus
AU - Topgaard, Daniel
N1 - Copyright the Author(s) 2014. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.
PY - 2014/6/6
Y1 - 2014/6/6
N2 - A Correction to this article was published in PLoS ONE 9(9): e109499. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0109499The ability of lyotropic liquid crystals to form intricate structures on a range of length scales can be utilized for the synthesis of structurally complex inorganic materials, as well as in devices for controlled drug delivery. Here we employ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for non-invasive characterization of nano-, micro-, and millimeter scale structures in liquid crystals. The structure is mirrored in the translational and rotational motion of the water, which we assess by measuring spatially resolved self-diffusion tensors and 2H spectra. Our approach differs from previous works in that the MRI parameters are mapped with spatial resolution in all three dimensions, thus allowing for detailed studies of liquid crystals with complex millimeter-scale morphologies that are stable on the measurement time-scale of 10 hours. The 2H data conveys information on the nanometer-scale structure of the liquid crystalline phase, while the combination of diffusion and 2H data permits an estimate of the orientational distribution of micrometer-scale anisotropic domains. We study lamellar phases consisting of the nonionic surfactant C10E3 in 2H2O, and follow their structural equilibration after a temperature jump and the cessation of shear. Our experimental approach may be useful for detailed characterization of liquid crystalline materials with structures on multiple length scales, as well as for studying the mechanisms of phase transitions.
AB - A Correction to this article was published in PLoS ONE 9(9): e109499. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0109499The ability of lyotropic liquid crystals to form intricate structures on a range of length scales can be utilized for the synthesis of structurally complex inorganic materials, as well as in devices for controlled drug delivery. Here we employ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for non-invasive characterization of nano-, micro-, and millimeter scale structures in liquid crystals. The structure is mirrored in the translational and rotational motion of the water, which we assess by measuring spatially resolved self-diffusion tensors and 2H spectra. Our approach differs from previous works in that the MRI parameters are mapped with spatial resolution in all three dimensions, thus allowing for detailed studies of liquid crystals with complex millimeter-scale morphologies that are stable on the measurement time-scale of 10 hours. The 2H data conveys information on the nanometer-scale structure of the liquid crystalline phase, while the combination of diffusion and 2H data permits an estimate of the orientational distribution of micrometer-scale anisotropic domains. We study lamellar phases consisting of the nonionic surfactant C10E3 in 2H2O, and follow their structural equilibration after a temperature jump and the cessation of shear. Our experimental approach may be useful for detailed characterization of liquid crystalline materials with structures on multiple length scales, as well as for studying the mechanisms of phase transitions.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84902595588&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0109499
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0098752
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0098752
M3 - Article
C2 - 24905818
AN - SCOPUS:84902595588
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 9
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
IS - 6
M1 - e98752
ER -