Self-assembly of surfactants and phospholipids at interfaces between aqueous phases and thermotropic liquid crystals

Recent studies have reported on the self-assembly of surfactants and phospholipids at interfaces between aqueous phases and thermotropic liquid crystals. These studies have been enabled by an experimental system that permits the preparation of stable and easily-imaged interfaces between liquid crystals and aqueous phases. The influence of the molecular structure of surfactants and their interfacial organization on the ordering of the liquid crystals has been revealed. Because the liquid crystals reorder on time-scales of seconds or less, the time-dependent behavior of the liquid crystals can be used to follow dynamic phenomena at these interfaces, including the adsorption and desorption of surfactants. At these same aqueous-liquid crystal interfaces, phospholipids have been shown to organize into assemblies that possess the mobility of biological membranes and are coupled to the order within the liquid crystal. Specific protein binding events and enzyme-catalyzed reactions at phospholipid-decorated interfaces of liquid crystals lead to changes in the organization of the phospholipids that are “reported” as ordering transitions in the liquid crystal.