Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystals

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This thesis investigates lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs), highlighting their unique elastic and viscous properties. The first part provides a comprehensive analysis of these properties as influenced by concentration, temperature, and ionic content. The second part delves into an active nematic system, combining LCLCs with living bacteria, showcasing the intersection of liquid crystals and biological systems. LCLCs resemble biological assemblies, such as DNA oligomers, making them valuable for studying the elasticity and viscosity of supramolecular structures. Their biocompatibility allows them to interface effectively with living systems like bacteria. The research enhances our understanding of the noncovalent nature of chromonic aggregation, which imparts distinct viscoelasticity to LCLCs, setting them apart from traditional liquid crystals. Additionally, the anisotropic interactions between LCLCs and bacteria result in intriguing phenomena, including the deformation of LCLCs with a wavelength dictated by the LCLCs' elasticity and bacterial activity, controlled trajectories of bacteria, and the visualization of flagella motion at 24 nm.