Liquid Crystal-Infused Porous Polymer Surfaces: A "Slippery" Soft Material Platform for the Naked-Eye Detection and Discrimination of Amphiphilic Species.

ABSTRACT: We report the design and characterization of liquid crystal (LC)-infused porous polymer membranes that can detect and report on the presence of natural and synthetic amphiphiles in aqueous solution. We demonstrate that thermotropic LCs can be infused into nanoporous polymer membranes to yield LC-infused surfaces that exhibit slippery behaviors in contact with a range of aqueous fluids. In contrast to conventional liquid-infused surfaces (LIS) or slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) prepared using isotropic oils, aqueous solutions slide over the surfaces of these LC-infused materials at speeds that depend strongly upon the composition of the fluid, including the presence, concentration, or structure of a dissolved surfactant. In general, the sliding times of aqueous droplets on t

SUBMITTER: Agarwal H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8459213 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature