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A Rare Case of Mesomorphic Behavior–Molecular Reorientation of Itraconazole Liquid Crystal Induced by a Hygrothermal Treatment
journal contribution
posted on 2016-01-25, 00:00 authored by Naila
A. Mugheirbi, Karsten Fleischer, Lidia TajberLiquid
crystals constitute a unique class of soft state of matter
exhibiting the counterintuitive combination of fluidity and order
in addition to the unique feature of controllable molecular orientation.
Herein, we introduce the use of moisture sorption approach to reversibly
realign mesogen molecules within a liquid crystalline phase of itraconazole,
assigned to as a nematic phase (ITR-N), obtained by spray drying.
This unique, nematic-to-smectic switching behavior of ITR was achieved
via moisture triggered activation of molecular mobility of ITR molecules
below the material’s glass transition temperature (Tg). This phenomenon was characterized using
small and wide-angle X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy,
and thermal analysis. The smectic phase was found to be formed by
a 1:1 mol/mol ITR/water complex, an example of rare thermotropic mesomorphism
of a solvent complex, and the water presence was found to be necessary
for the material to retain the smectic order. The ordered sample,
in the smectic phase, possessed a greater Tg than ITR-N due to an increase in order and subsequent increase in
rigidity. This behavior highlights the ability of ITR to accommodate
stress conditions via molecular rearrangement and thus resist full
crystallization, which rationalizes the importance of the liquid crystalline
phase.