Applications

Abstract Some of the characteristics of mixtures that present lyotropic liquid crystalline mesophases give them unique properties. Among these characteristics we can stress the structures of the mesophases, phase transitions as a function of temperature and relative concentrations of the components, existence of direct and inverted phases, and in some structures one may observe large area to volume ratios and nanostructures with different electrical properties in the same basic unit. Some characteristics of lyotropics (e.g., selective reflection and texture) enable them to be employed as sensors of different kinds in the biomedical area. Another important characteristic of lyotropics is the possibility of preparing biocompatible mixtures, where aqueous mixtures are mainly employed for this purpose. In this chapter we discuss some applications of lyotropics in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries, and we will finish with some applications in nanotechnology.