Retrieving the Coassembly Pathway of Composite Cellulose Nanocrystal Photonic Films from their Angular Optical Response.

ABSTRACT: Aqueous suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are known to self-assemble into a chiral nematic liquid crystalline phase, leading to solid-state nanostructured colored films upon solvent evaporation, even in the presence of templating agents. The angular optical response of these structures, and therefore their visual appearance, are completely determined by the spatial arrangement of the CNCs when the drying suspension undergoes a transition from a flowing and liquid crystalline state to a kinetically arrested state. Here, it is demonstrated how the angular response of the final film allows for retrieval of key physical properties and the chemical composition of the suspension at the onset of the kinetic arrest, thus capturing a snapshot of the past. To illustrate this methodology,

SUBMITTER: Frka-Petesic B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7116217 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature