Potassium Salts of Acylated Amino Acids as Chiral Dopants and Hosts in the Formation of Amphiphilic Cholesteric Liquid Crystals

Abstract

Several potassium salts of acylated amino acids have been synthesized. These chiral detergents have been used in the preparation of Amphiphilic Cholesteric Liquid Crystals (ACLC), both as chiral dopants and as chiral hosts. These ACLC samples have been characterised by laser diffraction twist measurements as well as by polar microscopy. L-KDDA (C₁₂ alaninate) was found to be the optimum chiral dopant. L-KDDA and L-KTDA (C₁₄ alaninate) were found to be the most efficient chiral hosts. Where L-KTDA was much more effective at low decanol concentrations. Using polar microscopy, the optical rotation along the helix axis was found to be positive in all cases.

Key Words:

• acylated amino acids
• chiral
• cholesteric
• laser diffraction