Liquid crystallization of structural megamolecules in plants is very significant in understanding of biopolymer self-orientation and developing plant-derived functional materials. Cyanobacterial megamolecules, sacrans (molecular weight: 1.6 × 10 7 g/mol), are polysaccharides derived from the extracellular matrix of Aphanothece sacrum, and are observed as self-orienting micro rods longer than 3 µm in dilute solution at c ) 0.01 wt % by optical microscopes. Sacran chains form double helixes at c > 0.09 wt % and form huge domains (centimeter scale) of liquid crystals at c > 0.5 wt % which is quite low when compared to conventional liquid crystalline polysaccharides. Mesogenic helical chains of sacrans have extremely high aspect ratios of 1600 for highly persistent lengths of 32 µm.
When a magnetic field is applied, the elastic modulus of a magnetic polyurethane elastomer increases by a factor of 277 of the off-field modulus. The elastomer exhibits high fracture strain and maintains the giant magnetoelasticity under air for more than half a year.
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