LIQUID-CRYSTAL PHASE-TRANSITION IN LARGE GROWN MICELLES

Various theories of the phase transition from isotropic fluid to nematic liquid crystalline phase in systems of anisotropic particles in solution are reviewed. It is found that a knowledge of the flexibility of the ordering objects is critical to determining the concentration at which this phase transition occurs. Measurements of the persistence length, a measure of flexibility, are also discussed. These two results are used to predict where such a phase transition should occur. Finally, preliminary experimental results indicating this phase transition are presented. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.