Non-covalent interactions are of great importance in biology, chemistry, and material sciences. Although much information about different types of non-covalent interactions is available, incorporating them in a molecular design to generate a molecule that can undergo association to form a molecular assembly with bulk properties of interest is a challenge. To understand and harness intermolecular interactions, we have designed an indane 2,5-diketopiperazine (DKP) scaffold. Crystal engineering studies with this scaffold show that the molecules assemble into one dimensional tapes via reciprocal amide hydrogen bonds, tapes assemble into two dimensional sheets via arene-arene interactions, and sheets assemble into three dimensional solids via van der Waals contacts. A series of tetraalkoxy-substituted DKPs previously investigated exhibited liquid crystalline behavior. A new class of DKPs with one alkoxy substituent, rather than two, on each benzene ring has been synthesized. Thermochemical studies of the new DKPs by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy show that they are not liquid crystalline as expected. However, in the process of making the DKPs, conformationally constrained tyrosine analogues, (R)- and (S)-5-hydroxy-2-aminoindan- 2-carboxylic acids, were prepared by chromatographic separation of diastereomeric dipeptide derivatives formed from N-Boc-L-phenylalanine. Absolute configurations were assigned by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The series of tetraalkoxy-substituted DKPs showed a remarkable trend in freezing point. The freezing point for the series decreases with an increase in alkyl chain length. To understand the relationship between the crystal packing interactions and the freezing point trend, a study of the association of DKPs in solution by NMR was initiated. An Nmethylated 2,5-diketopiperazine was previously synthesized and studied by NMR using chloroform as solvent to obtain equilibrium constants for self association. Attempted multi-step syntheses of a more lipophilic N-3,7-dimethyloctyl 2,5-diketopiperazine, which was expected to have solubility in non-interfering solvents such as carbon disulfide, benzene, and carbon tetrachloride, failed. In response, a direct and concise method for accessing N-alkyl DKPs was developed, and an N-decyl 2,5-diketopiperazine was synthesized. X-ray crystallographic analysis of the N-decyl 2,5-diketopiperazine reveals formation of dimers via hydrogen bonding in the solid state.

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As propriedades ópticas não-lineares de cristais líquidos liotrópicos dopados com ferrofluido, na escala dos milissegundos, foi estudada mediante a técnica de varredura-z. Estas propriedades foram caracterizadas em diferentes mesofases em função da potência incidente, da quantidade de ferrofluido, da direção do diretor (fase nemática calamítica), da evolução temporal do sinal e da composição relativa das amostras. Propomos que a origem desta resposta óptica não-linear, na escala de tempo de milissegundos, é térmica. Os resultados experimentais foram analisados com base nos modelos de Sheik-Bahae e de Lente Térmica. O modelo de Sheik-Bahae permite obter o índice de refração não-linear n IND.2, e o modelo de Lente Térmica a condutividade térmica k e o coeficiente termoótico dn/dT. É possível estabelecer uma relação entre ambos os modelos, a qual é verificada experimentalmente. Da análise sobre o efeito do ferrofluido na resposta óptica não-linear dos liotrópicos, concluímos que este introduz uma pequena anisotropia na absorção óptica na presença de um campo magnético externo. Um possível mecanismo presente numa amostra ferro-liotrópica iluminada pelo laser é o denominado hipertermia. O estudo da resposta óptica não-linear em amostras liotrópicas com diferentes concentrações relativas, num domínio nemático, à temperatura constante, mostra que é possível associar os comportamentos observados nos parâmetros k, dn/dT e n IND.2, à variação da estrutura microscópica das micelas. / Nonlinear optical properties of ferrofluid-doped lyotropic liquid crystals in the millisecond range were studied using the Z-Scan technique. These properties were characterized in different mesophases as function of the incident power of the laser, ferrofluid concentration, direction of the director (calamitic nematic mesophase), signal\'s temporal evolution and relative concentrations of the samples. We suggest that the lyotropic\'s nonlinear optical properties, in millisecond range, come from a thermal effect. The experimental data were analyzed using the Sheik- Bahae\'s model and the Thermal Lens model. The Sheik-Bahae\'s model allows to get the nonlinear refractive index n2 and the Thermal Lens model gives the thermal conductivity k and the thermo optic coefficient dn/dT. It is possible to set a relationship between Sheik-Bahae\'s model and Thermal Lens model that is experimentally verified. Analyzing the influence of ferrofluid on the lyotropics\'s nonlinear optical response, we conclude that it introduces a small anisotropy in the optical absorption in the presence of an external magnetic field. A possible mechanism that could be present in the ferro-lyotropic sample illuminated by the laser beam is the hyperthermia. The study of the nonlinear optical response of lyotropic samples with different concentrations, in a nematic domain, at constant temperature, shows that it is possible to relate the behaviors observed on k, dn/dT and n2 to a change of microscopic structure of micelles.

Consideramos um modelo de interações quadrupolares entre micelas capaz de explicar a ocorrência de fases nemáticas biaxiais. Micelas uniaxiais de formatos variáveis, representando a polidispersividade do sistema, são incluídas. O modelo apresenta uma fase nemática calamítica separada de uma fase discótica por uma fase biaxial, segundo resultados de campo médio e de simulações de Monte Carlo. / We consider a model of quadrupole interactions between micelles which is able to explain the occurrence of biaxial phases. Uniaxial micelles of variable shape, representing system polydispersity, are included. The model displays a calamitic nematic phase separated from a discotic phase by a biaxial phase, according to mean-field and Monte Carlo simulation results.

Neste trabalho é investigado o comportamento de partículas coloidais em cristais líquidos liotrópicos nas diferentes fases nemáticas. Nessas fases, existe uma ordem orientacional de longo alcance das micelas no volume. O regime de ancoramento das micelas na superfície das partículas, que pode ser forte ou fraco, depende diretamente da energia de ancoramento W, do raio R das partículas coloidais, e da constante elástica K do crista/líquido [8]. Em casos de ancoramento fraco, a simetria da ordem orientacional das micelas próxima às superfícies das partículas, bem como no volume, é a mesma nas fases nemáticas calamítica (\'N IND. c\') e discótica (\'N IND. d\'). Utilizando-se partículas de sílica nanométricas, observa-se por técnicas de microscopia óptica, que, para amostras mais concentradas (fração volumétrica \'fi\'\'DA ORDEM DE\'\'10 POT. -3\'), ocorre uma separação de fases, enquanto que, em sistemas mais diluídos (\'fi\'\'DA ORDEM DE\'\'10 POT. -5\'), existe uma organização das partículas no meio líquido cristalino em temperaturas próximas à \'N IND. d\'. Quando partículas de látex de diâmetro 90nm são dispersadas no cristal líquido liotrópico na fase \'N IND. c\'. c, agregados anisométricos tridimensionais são observados. Apesar de esse tipo de agregado não ter sido anteriormente observado, esse comportamento era previsto teoricamente dentro de certas condições que são satisfeitas pelo sistema nemático liotrópico liotrópico + látex. No entanto, esses agregados desaparecem na fase \'N IND. d\'. Os diferentes comportamentos em \'N IND. c\' e \'N IND. d\' estão ligados à organização do meio liquido-cristalino, assim como às interações entre as partículas e entre as partículas e o meio. F oram feitas também medidas diretas de força por meio de um SFA (surface Force Apparatus) em um cristal líquido liotrópico puro confinado entre duas superfícies. Tais medidas mostram que o perfil da força em função da distância entre as superfícies é diferente em \'N IND. d\' e \'N IND. c\'. / In this work, the behavior of colloidal particles dispersed into a nematic lyotropic liquid crystal matrix is investigated. In such systems, there is a long range orientational order of the micelles in the volume. The micelles anchoring on the particles surfaces can be strong or weak, depending of the anchoring strength W, the particles radius R and the liquid crystal elastic constant K. For weak anchoring, the symmetry of the orientational order in the surroundings of the particles surfaces, and also in the volume, remains the same for both calamitic (\'N IND. c\') and discotic (\'N IND. d\') nematic phases. It was observed that high concentrated solution of nanometric silica particles in a lyotropic medium leads to phase segregation. In more diluted systems, the silica particles tend to organize themselves in the nematic medium for temperatures close to \'N IND. d\'. For 90nm latex particles in the lyotropic matrix, 3D anisotropic aggregates was observed in \'N IND. c\' phases. Although it was never observed before, this behavior was theoretically previewed. On the other hand, there are no aggregates in \'N IND. d\' phase. The different behaviors observed on \'N IND. c\' and \'N IND. d\' phases are related to the liquid crystalline medium organization, as well as to the interparticles and medium with particles interactions. It is also shown in this work, by direct measurements in a pure lyotropic liquid crystal confined between two surfaces, that the force profiles in function of the distance between surfaces are different for \'N IND. c\' and \'N IND. d\' phases.