Development of model colloidal liquid crystals and the kinetics of the isotropic–smectic transition

We have prepared a homologous series of filamentous viruses with varying contour length using molecular cloning techniques. These viruses are monodisperse enough to form a stable smectic phase. Two systems are studied. The first system consists of viruses to the surfaces of which the polymers are covalently bound. Through studies of the isotropic-cholesteric phase transition we demonstrate that covalently attached polymers alter the effective diameter of the virus. Additionally, we have produced mixtures of viruses whose ratio of effective diameters varies by a factor of five. The second system is composed of mixtures of rod-like viruses and non-absorbing Gaussian polymers. With this system we study the kinetics of the isotropic-smectic phase transition and describe observations of a number of novel metastable structures of unexpected complexity.