Lyotropic Liquid Crystals

Lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) are a type of self-assemblies formed on the dissolution of amphiphilic molecules in a suitable solvent often water, within a certain concentration range, at a given temperature. Due to their outstanding properties, they occupy a special category among complex fluids. One of the key properties is the possibility that the micellar shape and shape anisotropy can be changed as a function of temperature and/or relative composition of the mixture. The study on lyomesophases have attracted considerable attention in recent decades because of their potential in diverse applications and for basic understanding about their structural complexity. This chapter 4 is devoted to the discussion on structural characteristics of various kinds of lyomesophases  and their their formation based on anisotropic nanomaterials. The question how the application of external fields and various other factors influences the structure, and properties of these mesophases is also addressed? A brief discussion on the characteristic features of phase transitions between lyomesophases and the related phase diagrams is also presented.