Abstract:
Chromonic azo dyes are particular types of chromonic molecules that are alignable homeotropically (aggregated molecules stack perpendicularly to the surface) on different types of substrates, often without the need of any special surface treatment. This feature enables the optimization of a detection device with increased sensitivity based of the alignment distortion created by a biological immune complex.

Description:
PRIORITY TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/079,019 filed on Nov. 13, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to the detection of pathogens and other toxic substances. More specifically, the present invention relates to a detection device with an amplification system comprised of a liquid crystal chromonic azo dye aligned homeotropically in a closed cell for the rapid detection of a ligand. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A liquid crystal is a state of the matter intermediate a solid and an isotropic liquid and characterized by long range orientation order and reduced or absent positional order. Liquid crystals can be divided into thermotropic, lyotropic and metallotropic categories. Thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals consist of organic molecules, while metallotropic liquid crystals comprise both organic and inorganic molecules. Thermotropic materials exhibit a phase transition into the liquid crystalline phase as a function of temperature change. In lyotropic liquid crystals, phase transitions are a function of both temperature and concentration of the molecules in a solvent. In the case of metallotropic mesophases, the phase transition depends not only on temperature and concentration, but also on the inorganic-organic composition ratio. 
         [0004]    A special class of lyotropic liquid crystals of a non-surfactant nature exists which are known as lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals, for convenience referred to hereinafter as “LCLC.” This family of organic molecules is broad and includes pharmaceutical drugs and dyes. Chromonic molecules are considered lyotropic because they form a liquid crystal phase when in solution with an appropriate solvent, generally water. However they are quite different from a typical amphiphilic molecule (such as a surfactants molecule) that are characterized by a polar head and a flexible hydrophobic tail: chromonic liquid crystals have a disk-like or plank-like shape, with a relatively rigid aromatic core and ionic groups at the periphery. 
         [0005]    Both amphiphilic and chromonic molecules aggregate in solution. Surfactant-based lyotropic liquid crystals aggregate forming micelles, while chromonic molecules tend to stack face to face, forming polydisperse, rod-like aggregates [J. Lydon, Chromonics, in: Handbook of Liquid Crystals [Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 1998) v. 2B, p. 981 and Current Opin. Col. Inter. Sci. 3, 458 (1998)]. The aggregation is driven by weak non-covalent interactions such as π-π attraction, and the length of the aggregates depends on concentration and temperature. 
         [0006]    Alignment techniques allow controlling the orientation of liquid crystals on substrates treated with aligning materials such as polyimides. Unidirectional rubbing on polyimide-coated substrates is a standard means of aligning thermotropic liquid crystals in the display industry. Chromonics may be aligned using this technique. A specific alignment direction (parallel or perpendicular) of the liquid crystal with respect to the substrate is achieved by choosing polyimides with different properties. Lyotropic surfactant-based liquid crystals usually self-align when placed between two parallel glass plates. The alignment orientation is dictated by the molecules&#39; interaction with the surface and it is generally homeotropic, which means that the director is oriented perpendicular to the bounding plates. 
       DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART 
       [0007]    Although both thermotropic and surfactant-based liquid crystals are relatively easy to align they are also quite toxic materials for biologicals [Liquid Crystals 32(4):417-423, 2005]. The non-surfactant nature of chromonic molecules and low toxicity makes them suitable for biological applications such as biosensors where the liquid crystals are used as amplification system. Prior detection technologies involving liquid crystals are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,802 B1; U.S. Pat. No. 7,745,220 B2; U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,354 B1; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,632 B2. 
         [0008]    An exemplary prior art detection technology having a surfactant-based lyotropic liquid crystal cell is designated generally by the numeral  10  in  FIG. 1A . The cell  10  includes a pair of opposed substrates  12 , which are sealed in a well-known manner, and that contain surfactant-based lyotropic liquid crystal material designated generally by the numeral  14 . The material  14  is formed using water  16  as a solvent for amphiphilic molecules  18 , characterized by polar (hydrophilic) parts  20  and apolar (hydrophobic) parts  22 . When water  16  is added to amphiphilic molecules  18 , such as the cationic surfactant Cetylpyridinium Chloride [C 21 H 38 NCl], a bilayer  26  forms as the hydrophobic regions coalesce to minimize interaction with the water  16  while enhancing the polar component&#39;s interaction with water. The molecules on average are oriented along the direction schematically shown by a thick vertical arrow  28  called the director n. On average, the surfactant molecules are oriented along the director n. Surfactant molecules, and thus the director n, orient normally perpendicular to the bounding plates  12  (so-called homeotropic orientation). The detection is achieved by the introduction of a receptor into the liquid crystal matrix. In the presence of a ligand and the resultant formation of a complex, an optically detectable local deformation of the alignment is created. Most biologic receptors possess both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions and thus can in principle incorporate into lyotropic liquid crystals. However, the quality of such incorporation depends on the particular hydrophobic hydrophilic balance in the system. Moreover, the surfactant environment might harm the detected biological species. 
         [0009]    An exemplary prior art detection technology having a non-surfactant lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal cell is designated generally by the numeral  40  in  FIG. 1B . The cell  40  includes a pair of opposed substrates  42 , which are sealed in a well-known manner that contains lyotropic liquid crystal material  44 . Qualitatively, the difference from the surfactant type lyotropic materials is that LCLC molecules, designated generally by the numeral  46 , are disc-like or plank-like rather than rod-like. The polar hydrophilic parts  48  form the periphery of each molecule, while the central core  50  is relatively hydrophobic. This distinction creates a range of different ordered structures. Individual disc-like molecules may form cylindrical aggregates  54  in water  56 . The direction of average molecular orientation is defined by the orientation of the normals to the planes of the plank-like or disc-like molecule. In other words, a director  60  is along the axis of the cylindrical aggregate and shows the direction n of orientation. 
         [0010]    In the example depicted in  FIG. 1B , the long axes of the aggregates are oriented in a direction parallel to the bounding plates. However, the aggregates do not necessarily align in the same parallel direction. Such an alignment requires a special treatment of the substrates. An efficient detection of ligands is possible when the liquid crystal is aligned uniformly in the liquid crystal cell and the ligand-receptor pairs disturb this uniform alignment. Furthermore, detection based on planar alignment of liquid crystals requires a specific orientation of the liquid crystal cell when viewed through cross polar lenses for an efficient detection. 
         [0011]    Chromonic liquid crystals can be aligned homeotropically on glass, but a surface treatment is still needed with an aligning material [Langmuir, 30 (10), 2914-2920, 2014; PRL 105, 017801, 2010; Soft Matter, 8, 8478-8482, 2012; Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst., 576, 2-7, 2013]. Alignment methods involve the use of precise manufacturing techniques and the application of relatively costly materials to cell substrates. 
         [0012]    Thus, a need exists for an alternative simplified detection and amplification mechanism which does not involve the use of either thermotropic or surfactant-based liquid crystals, and which can be easily achieved using plain substrates without elaborate coating and rubbing of the alignment layer. Alternatively, a preferred system using minimal substrate treatment (such as quick-dry spray coatings) and not requiring a specific orientation of the liquid crystal cell when viewed through cross polar lenses may also be advantageously used in detection and amplification applications. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    The present invention provides a system for the detection and amplification of ligands based on the homeotropic alignment of non-surfactant lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals. 
         [0014]    The present invention further provides homeotropic alignment of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals when sandwiched between a pair of uncoated substrates. Additionally homeotropic alignment can be obtained by coating the substrates with hydrophobic, low surface energy materials. 
         [0015]    In another embodiment, the present invention provides homeotropic alignment of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal material, wherein the liquid crystal material is a chromonic azo dye. 
         [0016]    In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides homeotropic alignment of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal material, wherein the optimized concentration of liquid crystal in the carrier medium is in a preselected range. 
         [0017]    In still another embodiment, the present invention provides homeotropic alignment of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal material, wherein the liquid crystal is in the nematic phase in the temperature range. 
         [0018]    In a further embodiment, the present invention provides homeotropic alignment of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal material, wherein the alignment surfaces are materials such as but not limited to acrylics, COP and COC. 
         [0019]    In another embodiment, the present invention provides homeotropic alignment of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal material, wherein the alignment surfaces are glass substrates coated with hydrophobic low surface tension materials, which include, but it is not limed to, soluble low cure polyimides, super hydrophobic coatings, and acrylic sprays. 
         [0020]    In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides homeotropic alignment lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal material when sandwiched between a pair of uncoated substrates which is very stable under manipulation and applied pressure. 
         [0021]    In still another embodiment, the present invention provides homeotropic alignment, wherein the lyotropic liquid crystal material is mixed with a ligand/receptor biospecies and then disposed between the substrates and observed to determine whether the biospecies distorts alignment of the liquid crystal material. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0022]      FIG. 1 .A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a prior art surfactant-based liquid crystal cell; 
           [0023]      FIG. 1 .B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a prior art non-surfactant chromonic liquid crystal cell; 
           [0024]      FIG. 2  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal cell in accordance with an embodiment; 
           [0025]      FIG. 3  is a side perspective view of a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal cell coupled with a light source and at least one polarizer in accordance with an embodiment; 
           [0026]      FIG. 4  is schematic cross-sectional view of a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal cell without a detected material contained therein in accordance with an embodiment; and 
           [0027]      FIG. 5  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal cell having a detected material contained therein in accordance with an embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0028]    In the present invention a detection device based on homeotropic aligned non surfactant-lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal is presented. As best seen in  FIG. 2 , a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal cell according to the present invention defining a contained space therein is designated generally by the numeral  70 . The cell  70  includes a pair of opposed substrates or plates  72 , which are sealed in a well-known manner in a cell (not shown) containing a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal material  74  suspended in water  76  and contained within the cell  70  intermediate the substrates. The liquid crystal material contained in the cell forms a “nematic slab”, a term used in the art. In accordance with an embodiment, a preferred range of the ratio in the water-azo dye solution is approximately 30-36% dye to water by weight. Unlike prior art materials such as, the chromonic material  44  of  FIGS. 1 .A and  1 .B, wherein the opposer substrates are in preferential alignment with chromonic material  74 , the material aggregates  74  are homeotropic with respect to a variety of substrates. Homeotropic means that the long axes of the liquid crystal aggregates are oriented in a direction perpendicular to the bounding plates. Director  78  shows the direction of orientation. Such an alignment often does not require any special treatment of the substrates. 
         [0029]    In the detection device designated generally by the numeral  80  and schematically shown in  FIG. 3 , the cell  70  is placed between two crossed polarizers or light analyzers  82 ,  84 . A homeotropic aligned cell ideally has no direction, but is preferably oriented in a plane defined by first an x axis and second a y axis, the x and y axes being perpendicular to one another (the x-y plane) as shown. The system is rotationally symmetric. If a deformation is introduced, such as a receptor-ligand complex, the aggregates deviate at a certain angle from the perpendicular direction around the disturbance. Each of the crossed polarizers are positioned opposite one another outside of the cell and adjacent a respective one of the opposed substrates  72 . A light beam from a light source  86  impinges on the cell, along the axis Z. A polarizer  82  placed between the light source  86  and the cell makes the impinging light linearly polarized. 
         [0030]    The light intensity passed through a pair of crossed polarizers and a generic nematic slab having a thickness d positioned between them follows equation 1: 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
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         [0000]    where θ is the angle the director n makes with the axis Z, β is the angle between the in-plane horizontal projection of director n (or n if θ=π/2) and the polarization of incident light; d is the thickness of the nematic slab, λ 0  is the wavelength in vacuum, n o  and n e  are respectively the ordinary and extraordinary optical refractive indexes of the liquid crystalline medium. A detector (not shown) is positioned on the side of the cell opposite the light source for detecting any light passing through the cell, as is known in the art. 
         [0031]    When n is parallel to the z-axis (homeotropic orientation) θ=0, I=0 and the sample appears dark when seen between cross polarizers. The dark condition, also referred to herein as “extinction”, can be also obtained when θ≠0 but =0, π/2, . . . , such as, by way of example, the case of planar alignment, where the extinction is achieved by orienting the director along the polarization direction of the polarizer or the analyzer. However, if a distortion is introduced with the director varying from point to point, then the extinction condition is no longer satisfied and I≠0. 
         [0032]    In another embodiment of the present invention an exemplary non-surfactant lyotropic liquid crystal cell with homeotropic alignment used for the detection and amplification of ligands is shown schematically in  FIG. 4  and designated generally by the numeral  90 . The cell includes a pair of opposed substrates  72 , such as Zeonex plates, and a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal material  74  suspended in water, oriented in such a way that the director is everywhere perpendicular to the cell substrates. The presence of small disturbance created by, for example, receptor  92 , no disruption of this alignment exists. However, as seen in  FIG. 5 , in the presence of reactive ligand  94 , a sufficiently large aggregated biological complex  96  is formed and the liquid crystal orientation is locally distorted with generation of detectable light transmission. 
         [0033]    In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a chromonic liquid crystal material  74  is mixed with a receptor  92 , such as antibody coated micro-bead and a ligand  94  (a microbe), the mixture is injected with either positive or negative pressure between two substrates  72  assembled and sealed in a well-known manner as herein described; and the assembled cell is inserted in a detection device. Preferably, the detecting device, consists of a light source, two linear polarizers in crossed position and a photo detector. The position of the liquid crystal cell is in between the two polarizers. Binding of the ligand to the receptor induces the formation an antigen-antibody complex with consequent distortion of the aligned liquid crystal generating optically detectable birefringence. In other words, the incident polarized light entering the cell with local anisotropic distortion, splits into an ordinary and extraordinary light waves, with mutually orthogonal polarizations, travelling at different speeds. Because the two components travel at different velocities, the propagated waves are out of phase. When the waves are recombined as they exit of liquid crystal cell, the polarization state of each has changed as a result of this phase difference. Thus, the linear polarized light becomes elliptically polarized and a light component then passes through the second polarized (analyzer) to the photo detector. 
       Example 1 
     Homeotropic Alignment on Zeonex Plastic Substrates 
       [0034]    To make a cell of LCLC comprised of Water solutions of chromonic azo dye, two Zeonex 350R plates are cut to size, and assembled to create a cell with thickness controlled by glass spacers. A nematic water solution of chromonic azo dye is injected in the cassette at room temperature using positive pressure. After relaxation of transient stripe textures due to flow induced planar alignment, the LCLC spontaneously orients homeotropically on the uncoated substrates. These substrates proved to be suitable in aligning the chromonic azo dye in a homeotropic fashion, which is appropriate for applications such as the detection and amplification of ligands. 
       Example 2 
     Homeotropic Alignment on Apel APL5015ML Plastic Substrates 
       [0035]    To make a cell of LCLC comprised of Water solutions of chromonic azo dye, two Apel APL5015ML plates are cut to size, and assembled to create a cell with thickness controlled by glass spacers. A nematic water solution of chromonic azo dye is injected in the cassette at room temperature using positive pressure. After relaxation of transient stripe textures due to flow induced planar alignment, the LCLC spontaneously orients homeotropically on the uncoated substrates. These substrates proved to be suitable in aligning the chromonic azo dye in a homeotropic fashion, which is appropriate for applications such as the detection and amplification of ligands. 
       Example 3 
     Homeotropic Alignment on Zeonor Films 
       [0036]    To make a cell of LCLC comprised of Water solutions of chromonic azo dye, Zeonor films are laminated on glass, and assembled to create a cell with thickness controlled by glass spacers. A nematic water solution of chromonic azo dye is injected in the cassette at room temperature using positive pressure. After relaxation of a transient stripe textures due to flow induced planar alignment, the LCLC spontaneously orients homeotropically on the laminated films. These substrates proved to be suitable in aligning the chromonic azo dye in a homeotropic fashion, which is appropriate for applications such as the detection and amplification of ligands. 
       Example 4 
     Homeotropic Alignment on Low Cure Polyimide Films 
       [0037]    To make a cell of LCLC comprised of Water solutions of chromonic azo dye, Polyimide sheets such as AK-PI or NEXOLVE are laminated on glass, and assembled to create a cell with thickness controlled by glass spacers. A nematic water solution of chromonic azo dye is injected in the cassette at room temperature using positive pressure. After relaxation of a transient stripe textures due to flow induced planar alignment, the LCLC spontaneously orients homeotropically on the laminated films. The polyimide can also be solubilized in NMP/Butylcellosolve solution and spin coated, flexo printed or spray coated on glass and flash dried on a hot plate. These substrates proved to be suitable in aligning the chromonic azo dye in a homeotropic fashion, which is appropriate for applications such as the detection and amplification of ligands. 
       Example 5 
     Homeotropic Alignment on Super-Hydrophobic Coating 
       [0038]    To make a cell of LCLC comprised of Water solutions of chromonic azo dye, Hydrofoe super hydrophobic coating is spray coated or dip coated on glass and the substrates assembled to create a cell with thickness controlled by glass spacers. A nematic water solution of chromonic azo dye is injected in the cassette at room temperature using positive pressure. After relaxation of a transient stripe textures due to flow induced planar alignment, the LCLC spontaneously orients homeotropically on the super-hydrophobic coating. These substrates proved to be suitable in aligning the chromonic azo dye in a homeotropic fashion, which is appropriate for applications such as the detection and amplification of ligands. 
       Example 6 
     Homeotropic Alignment on Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic 
       [0039]    To make a cell of LCLC comprised of Water solutions of chromonic azo dye, Krylon crystal clear acrylic is spray coated on glass and the substrates assembled to create a cell with thickness controlled by glass spacers. A nematic water solution of chromonic azo dye is injected in the cassette at room temperature using positive pressure. After relaxation of a transient stripe textures due to flow induced planar alignment, the LCLC spontaneously orients homeotropically on the acrylic coating. These substrates proved to be suitable in aligning the chromonic azo dye in a homeotropic fashion, which is appropriate for applications such as the detection and amplification of ligands.