Simulation and Structural Modeling of Oriented Liquid Crystals using Small-Angle Scattering Methodsng

• Grant number: 19/10433-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2019
• End date: October 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Cristiano Luis Pinto de Oliveira
• Grantee: André Luiz Sehnem
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/24531-3 - Structural and biophysics properties of native and modified lipoproteins, AP.TEM

Abstract

In a nematic phase, the molecules are positionally disordered but one molecular axis is oriented along a common direction. This phase is common and well-understood. Much rarer and much less understood is the biaxial nematic phase in which all three molecular axes are aligned. We propose to combine experimental studies of a biaxial nematic phase with the use of computer modelling studies. The extra symmetry of the biaxial phase means that the system will exhibit new physics as compared to the normal nematic phase. We propose to study colloidal particles in this biaxial phase, where the extra symmetry will make different structures stable as compared to the standard nematic and thus widen the range of photonic applications. The results obtaine d in this project will provide important structural information about the liquid crystals molecules and arrangements based on the correct interpretation and modeling of scattering data.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

RUKS, TATJANA; LOZA, KATERYNA; HEGGEN, MARC; PRYMAK, OLEG; SEHNEM, ANDRE LUIZ; OLIVEIRA, CRISTIANO L. P.; BAYER, PETER; BEUCK, CHRISTINE; EPPLE, MATTHIAS. Peptide-Conjugated Ultrasmall Gold Nanoparticles (2 nm) for Selective Protein Targeting. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS, v. 4, n. 1, p. 945-965, JAN 18 2021. (19/10433-8, 19/06750-8, 18/16092-5, 16/24531-3)

FRANCO, LEANDRO REZENDE; SEHNEM, ANDRE LUIZ; NETO, ANTONIO MARTINS FIGUEIREDO; COUTINHO, KALINE. Molecular Dynamics Approach to Calculate the Thermodiffusion (Soret and Seebeck) Coefficients of Salts in Aqueous Solutions. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL THEORY AND COMPUTATION, v. 17, n. 6, p. 3539-3553, JUN 8 2021. (16/24531-3, 19/10433-8, 17/11631-2, 14/50983-3)