Development in liquid crystal microcapsules: fabrication, optimization and applications

Qu, Ruixiang; George, Thomas F.; Li, Guoqiang

doi:10.1039/d1tc04395a

Cited by 19 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 158 publications

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“…Many methods have been utilized to generate LC droplets, including emulsification, microfluidics, and inkjet printing. While emulsification is the simplest way to prepare LC emulsion droplets through shaking and ultrasonication, microfluidics is regarded as the best platform to generate uniform LC microdroplets with uniform size and desirable properties [ 37 ].…”

Section: Lc-based Sensing Platformsmentioning

confidence: 99%

State-of-the-Art Development in Liquid Crystal Biochemical Sensors

et al. 2022

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As an emerging stimuli-responsive material, liquid crystal (LC) has attracted great attentions beyond display applications, especially in the area of biochemical sensors. Its high sensitivity and fast response to various biological or chemical analytes make it possible to fabricate a simple, real-time, label-free, and cost-effective LC-based detection platform. Advancements have been achieved in the development of LC-based sensors, both in fundamental research and practical applications. This paper briefly reviews the state-of-the-art research on LC sensors in the biochemical field, from basic properties of LC material to the detection mechanisms of LC sensors that are categorized into LC-solid, LC–aqueous, and LC droplet platforms. In addition, various analytes detected by LCs are presented as a proof of the application value, including metal ions, nucleic acids, proteins, glucose, and some toxic chemical substances. Furthermore, a machine-learning-assisted LC sensing platform is realized to provide a foundation for device intelligence and automatization. It is believed that a portable, convenient, and user-friendly LC-based biochemical sensing device will be achieved in the future.

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Section: Lc-based Sensing Platformsmentioning

confidence: 99%

State-of-the-Art Development in Liquid Crystal Biochemical Sensors

et al. 2022

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“…The first problem is much reduced if the structurally colored material is produced not in the form of flat films-as is usually the case-but rather in the shape of spheres, with radial orientation of the symmetry axis. [24] This is achieved particularly easily using cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs), [19,22] since these longrange ordered and birefringent liquids can be processed into spherical droplets just like with any other liquid, [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] for instance using microfluidic or other emulsification techniques, and since they spontaneously organize with a helical organization of the optic axis that modulates the refractive indices with a period p that is easily adjusted from %100 nm to several tens of microns by varying the CLC mixture composition. The helical structure gives rise to Bragg diffraction that is selective not only in wavelength but also in polarization: only the circularly polarized component of light with the same handedness as the cholesteric helix is Bragg-diffracted.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pixelating Structural Color with Cholesteric Spherical Reflectors

Agha

Zhang

Geng

et al. 2023

Advanced Photonics Research

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While structural color is a powerful means of obtaining saturated and durable pigments that minimize absorption, scattering, and negative environmental impact, appearing naturally in animals and plants as well as in carefully designed artificial composites, it is fundamentally limited to spectral colors, leaving white and other mixed colors elusive. It also normally suffers from a strong viewing angle dependence, making color definition difficult. Herein, it is demonstrated that these challenges can be overcome by using cholesteric spherical reflectors (CSRs), spheres of polymerized cholesteric liquid crystal with radial alignment of the self‐assembled helical structure. Exhibiting omnidirectional selective retroreflectivity of well‐defined color, CSRs are discrete “packages” of structural color. This allows them to be used as pixels for generating nonspectral colors, following the principle of digital displays. A method of creating densely packed monolayers of CSRs with red (R), green (G), and blue (B) retroreflection is developed. Mixing them in equal proportions gives a white surface. By embedding the CSRs in an index matching transparent medium, nonselective specular reflections and scattering are avoided. The approach can be used to create arbitrary colors, including nonspectral ones, without any absorption or nonselective scattering, opening doors to decorating surfaces as desired while minimizing light loss.

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“…The LC sensors, born in the interface of the material science and sensing technology, have become the feasible and widely used tools to detect analytes such as biomolecules, [ 24 ] gases, [ 25 ] dyes, [ 26 ] and temperature. [ 27 ] As LC molecules can be tailored to respond to targeted chemical species, their optical signals can be tuned by the analytes displayed at the interface.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the diverse molecule alignments of the LCs, some unique performance including the stimuli-responsive property and optical property have been investigated in depth, laying solid foundation for the practical applications in the fields of LC displays, adaptive lenses, gratings, color filters, and sensors. [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] The LC sensors, born in the interface of the material science and sensing technology, have become the feasible and widely used tools to detect analytes such as biomolecules, [24] gases, [25] dyes, [26] and temperature. [27] As LC molecules can be tailored to respond to targeted chemical species, their optical signals can be tuned by the analytes displayed at the interface.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and Applications of Liquid Crystal Biophotonic Sensors for Ion Detection

2022

Advanced Photonics Research

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Liquid crystals (LCs) are nanophotonic materials which can interact with light in the molecular scale. While the LCs are widely used in various displays, last decade has witnessed emerging applications of the LCs for nondisplays. Based on the unique stimuli–responsive property and optical property, the applications of the LCs in the field of sensors are widely explored. In addition, ions are widely distributed in nature and bionts, playing critical roles in many physiological activities and ecological cycles. Appropriate amount of ions is beneficial to the human body, while the excess ions can cause irreversible damages. As a result, a variety of LC sensors are proposed to detect the ion concentration in both body fluids and water samples. This article reviews the design principles, applications, and existing problems of the LC ion sensors. The geometries, alignments, and optical signals of the sensors, which can guide the design of the devices, are first discussed. Afterward, two types of LC ion sensors aiming at detecting metal ions and nonmetallic ions, respectively, are illustrated. Finally, the current challenges and potential development directions of the LC ion sensors are introduced briefly.

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Development in liquid crystal microcapsules: fabrication, optimization and applications

Abstract: A liquid crystal (LC) is an intermediate phase between a liquid and solid whose molecular orientation can be well-ordered but its shape is like a flow. As the elastic force...

Cited by 19 publications

References 158 publications

State-of-the-Art Development in Liquid Crystal Biochemical Sensors

State-of-the-Art Development in Liquid Crystal Biochemical Sensors

Pixelating Structural Color with Cholesteric Spherical Reflectors

Design and Applications of Liquid Crystal Biophotonic Sensors for Ion Detection

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