The Design and Investigation of Nanocomposites Containing Dimeric Nematogens and Liquid Crystal Gold Nanoparticles with Plasmonic Properties Showing a Nematic-Nematic Phase Transition (Nu-Nx/Ntb)

Materials

Maria-Gabriela Tamba¹  Chih Hao Yu¹  Bai Jia Tang¹  Christopher Welch¹  Alexandra Kohlmeier¹  Christopher P. Schubert¹ 

[1] Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK;

关键词: nanocomposite;    liquid crystal;    nematic-nematic;    phase diagram;    dimer;    siloxane;    mixtures;    nanoparticles;    plasmonic;    gold;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ma7053494

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The construction of liquid crystal compositions consisting of the dimeric liquid crystal, CB_C9_CB (cyanobiphenyl dimer = 1″,9″-bis(4-cyanobiphenyl-4′-yl)nonane), and the range of nematic systems is explored. The materials include a laterally functionalized monomer, which was used to construct a phase diagram with CB_C9_CB, as well as one laterally linked dimer liquid crystal material and two liquid crystal gold nanoparticle (LC-Au-NPs) systems. For the Au-NP-LCs, the NP diameters were varied between ~3.3 nm and 10 nm. Stable mixtures that exhibit a nematic-nematic phase transition are reported and were investigated by POM (polarizing optical microscopy), DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) and X-ray diffraction studies.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland