Solubilization of ThermotropicLiquid Crystal Compoundsin Aqueous Surfactant Solutions.

We study the micellar solubilization of three thermotropicliquidcrystal compounds by immersing single drops in aqueous solutions ofthe ionic surfactant tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide. For bothnematic and isotropic drops, we observe a linear decrease of the dropsize with time as well as convective flows and self-propelled motions.The solubilization is accompanied by the appearance of small aqueousdroplets within the nematic or isotropic drop. At low temperatures,nematic drops expell small nematic droplets into the aqueous environment.Smectic drops show the spontaneous formation of filament-like structureswhich resemble the myelin figures observed in lyotropic lamellar systems.In all cases, the liquid crystal drops become completely solubilized,provided the weight fraction of the liquid crystal in the system isnot larger than a few percent. The solubilization of the liquid crystaldrops is compared with earlier studies of the solubilization of alkanesin ionic surfactant solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]