  Synthetic Laponite-clay particles with platelet-like shape display strong
aging when dispersed in aqueous solutions, preventing latter from reaching
their natural liquid-crystalline equilibrium state. Here we introduce a facile
method that successfully prevents this aging behaviour and enables accessing
the systems' liquid-crystal and crystalline phases. We graft the comb-like
polymer, poly(L-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLL-PEG), onto the clay
surfaces from solution, thereby screening the negative surface charges and thus
ensuring steric stabilisation. We show zeta-sizer and rheology measurements,
respectively, confirming complete steric coating and that aging of dilute
samples is completely suppressed even after a year. Using evaporation as means
to concentrate the particles, we observe various liquid crystalline textures
under a polarized optical microscope (POM). Upon sequential spreading and
drying, we are also able to obtain transparent films with hierarchical
architecture.
