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Doping the nematic liquid crystal 5CB with milled BaTiO3 nanoparticles
Alexander Lorenz1, Natalie Zimmermann, Satyendra Kumar
1Department of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Warburger Strasse 100, Paderborn 33098, Germany.
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|December 11, 2012
Summary
Barium titanate nanoparticles in 5CB liquid crystals formed unusual multilayer structures. These structures exhibited unique interlayer spacing not explained by standard liquid crystal ordering.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- 5CB (4-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl) is a well-known nematic liquid crystal.
- Barium titanate (BaTiO3) is a ferroelectric ceramic with diverse applications.
- Nanoparticle doping can alter the properties of liquid crystalline materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural changes in 5CB liquid crystals doped with BaTiO3 nanoparticles.
- To characterize the nanodispersion formed by doping.
- To understand the x-ray scattering behavior of the doped system.
Main Methods:
- X-ray scattering techniques were employed.
- Milled BaTiO3 nanoparticles (9 nm diameter) were used as dopants.
- The nematic mesogen 5CB was doped and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Doping induced the formation of crystallites within the 5CB matrix.
- These crystallites precipitated, forming a waxlike nanodispersion.
- Intense x-ray scattering signals indicated a multilayer structure with unusual interlayer spacing.
Conclusions:
- The BaTiO3 nanoparticles significantly altered the structure of 5CB.
- The observed multilayer structure and its spacing are not explained by conventional smectic ordering.
- This suggests novel self-assembly mechanisms in nanoparticle-doped liquid crystals.
