SONSEUROCORES - COMPLEXITY ACROSS LENGTHSCALES IN SOFT MATTER (SCALES)

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The project aims to combine the expertise of groups involved in complementary aspects of research into soft matter with complex self-organization on different length scales. Significant similarities in self-ordering patterns on scales from atomic to 10 and 100 nm have been highlighted recently. This project will focus in particular on novel highly complex structures formed by liquid crystals and star block copolymers consisting of 3 and 4 incompatible types of moieties. The recently introduced honeycomb columnar LC phases in ternary amphiphiles are rapidly expanding in diversity and complexity and, while they will be developed further, several series of quaternary amphiphilic compounds will be synthesised and studied in the course of the project, with a view on creating complex 3-d structures. Furthermore, the design principles learned from the LC work will also be used to expand the range of 2-d phases and surface patterns in miktoarm ter- and quaterpolymers. At the same time attempts will be made to enlarge the range of structured LC phases by applying the principles behind the remarkable range of 2-d and 3-d phases in multiblock copolymers. Inspired by the recent discovery of liquid quasicrystals and closely related 2-d phases in amphiphilic LC's and block copolymers, creation of similar complex and possibly quasiperiodic structures will be attempted, possibly leading to e.g. nearly isotropic photonic bandgap materials. The new structures will also be doped with guest species such as metal ions and functional molecules to investigate their further application potential. A novel approach to create order on colloidal length scale using liquid crystal medium will also be applied. The partners are leading groups in their fields with complementary expertise in synthesis, morphological and structural characterization, NMR, simulation and theory.