Chirality and helicity of poly-benzyl-L-glutamate in liquid crystals and a wave structure that mimics collagen helicity in crimp

Materials Research

Benedicto De Campos Vidal¹  Maria Luiza Silveira Mello¹ 

[1] ,UNICAMP Institute of Biology Department of Cell BiologyCampinas SP ,Brazil

关键词: poly-benzyl-L-glutamate;    wave-like superstructure;    liquid crystal;    optical anisotropy;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S1516-14392001000300005

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

Ideal biocompatible polymers must show a mimetic superstructure with biological supra-organization. Collagen-rich structures like tendons and ligaments are materials with various levels of order, from molecules to bundles of fibers, which affect their biomechanical properties and cellular interactions. Poly-benzyl-L-glutamate (PBLG) displaying helicity was used here to test the development of wave-like structures as those occurring in collagen fibers. Birefringence of PBLG under various crystallization conditions was studied with a lambda/4 compensator according to Sénarmont. Qualitative observations were plainly sufficient to conclude that the PBLG fibrils were supra-organized helically as a chiral object. During crystallization stretched PBLG formed a helical superstructure with characteristic striation resembling waves (crimp). Supported by optical anisotropy findings, a twisted grain boundary liquid crystal type is proposed as a transition phase in the formation of the PBLG chiral object. A similarity with the wavy organization (crimp) of collagen bundles is proposed.

【 授权许可】

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