Two Distinct Cylinder Arrangements in Monodomains of a Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Hexagonal II Phase: Monodomains with Straight Cylinders and Ringed Cylinders in Capillaries

摘要

We report a method to produce two different monodomains of an inverse hexagonal II (H-II) phase in capillaries. Capillaries filled with glyceryl monooleyl ether (GME) in an inverted micellar phase were soaked in water. After a week, a monodomain of the H-II phase with straight cylinders was observed in a capillary with a diameter of 1.0 mm. The axis of the straight cylinders was almost parallel to the capillary axis, and the cylinders were slightly undulated. The lattice constant of the H-II phase was 5.85 nm, which indicated the monodomain was fully hydrated. Another monodomain with ringed cylinders was observed in a 0.2 mm diameter capillary. The ringed cylinders aligned to the round capillary wall, where one of the < 10 > directions in the hexagonal lattice always faced the wall. The lattice constant was 4.89 nm, from which the estimated water content of the monodomain was almost the lowest reported for the H-II phase. The monodomain with ringed cylinders is stabilized by the capillary wall and, the low water content. This method to produce specific monodomains is expected to be of benefit for basic and applied research on the H-II phase.