Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Bio-Chiral Dopants Obtained from Bio-Betulin Produced by a Fermentation Process

Abstract

Cholesteric liquid crystals are frequently produced by the addition of chiral dopants to achiral nematic hosts. We report here the synthesis and performance of chiral dopants obtained from bio-betulin produced by a fermentation process. An important aspect of this work is to point out that the fermentation process used to obtain the starting materials is much easier and cheaper when carried out in large volumes than isolating it from the natural product. The performance of the dopants obtained from bio-betulin is indistinguishable from those obtained from commercially available synthetic betulin.

Itaconic Acid as a Comonomer in Betulin-Based Thermosets via Sequential and Bulk Preparation

“…It is a pentacyclic triterpenoid with a fused cycloaliphatic and chiral structure. This structural complexity has inspired the incorporation of betulin and its derivatives into a range of novel materials used for applications such as hydrogels, electro-optically responsive materials, UV-stable materials, and hierarchical nano- and microstructures. − The breadth of recently reported studies that utilize the structural features of betulin for diverse applications highlights the timely relevance of betulin as a biobased molecule in materials research. Additionally, betulin exhibits natural therapeutic activity and, therefore, may be a promising candidate for use in biocompatible and nontoxic polymers. − …”