Directed peptide amphiphile assembly using aqueous liquid crystal templates in magnetic fields

An alignment technique based on the combination of magnetic fields and a liquid crystal (LC) template uses the advantages of both approaches: the magnetic fields offer non-contact methods that apply to all sample sizes and shapes, whilst the LC templates offer high susceptibilities. The combination introduces a route to control the spatial organization of materials with low intrinsic susceptibilities. We demonstrate that we can unidirectionally align one such material, peptide amphiphiles in water, on a centimeter scale at a tenfold lower magnetic field by using a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal as a template. We can transform the aligned supramolecular assemblies into optically active π-conjugated polymers after photopolymerization. Lastly, by reducing the magnetic field strength needed for addressing these assemblies, we are able to create more complex structures by initiating self-assembly of our supramolecular materials under competing alignment forces between the magnetically induced alignment of the assemblies (with a positive diamagnetic anisotropy) and the elastic force dominated alignment of the template (with a negative diamagnetic anisotropy), which is directed orthogonally. Although the approach is still in its infancy and many critical parameters need optimization, we believe that it is a very promising technique to create tailor-made complex structures of (aqueous) functional soft matter.