Stable and Oriented Liquid Crystal Droplets Stabilized by Imidazolium Ionic Liquids

Liquid crystals represent a fascinating intermediate state of matter, with dynamic yet organized molecular features and untapped opportunities in sensing. Several works report the use of liquid crystal droplets formed by microfluidics and stabilized by surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). In this work, we explore, for the first time, the potential of surface-active ionic liquids of the imidazolium family as surfactants to generate in high yield, stable and oriented liquid crystal droplets. Our results show that [C12MIM][Cl], in particular, yields stable, uniform and monodisperse droplets (diameter 74 +/- 6 mu m; PDI = 8%) with the liquid crystal in a radial configuration, even when compared with the standard SDS surfactant. These findings reveal an additional application for ionic liquids in the field of soft matter.

Automated summary

Liquid crystals, as a fascinating intermediate state of matter, show potential in sensing. Research suggests that surface-active imidazolium ionic liquids can be used to produce stable and oriented liquid crystal droplets effectively. These findings expand the applications of ionic liquids in the field of soft matter.