Non-Aqueous Lyotropic Liquid Crystals From Amphiphiles

Most of the literature on lyotropic liquid crystals of moderate size amphiphilic molecules has been concerned with aqueous systems; the only exception being the early observation by Winsor that some amphiphiles formed liquid crystals in their native state at room temperature. Recently, a whole series of liquid crystalline structures has been introduced in which water has been replaced with a polar organic solvent to bring the mesomorphic state. A short review is given about the structure and dynamics in such systems.