Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Materials

Chemistry In Pictures

Chemistry in Pictures: Spiraling out

by Alexandra A. Taylor
April 26, 2021

A micrograph showing an array of complex colloids containing liquid crystals.
Credit: Alberto Concellón

This micrograph, taken under crossed polarizers at 20× magnification, shows an array of complex colloids, each containing helical structures known as cholesteric liquid crystals. Alberto Concellón, a postdoc in Tim Swager’s group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, captured the image as part of his research. Concellón explains that incorporating chirality into a liquid crystal causes it to twist into a helix. Here, each liquid crystal’s radial helical structure originates from the center of the droplet, giving rise to concentric shells. These emulsions can be used as photonic materials, for example in chiral mirrors, biosensors, and some kinds of tunable lasers. The Swager lab is focusing on the emulsions’ biosensing abilities to detect foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella or Listeria.

Submitted by Alberto Concellón

Do science. Take pictures. Win money. Enter our photo contest here.

Click here to see more Chemistry in Pictures.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.