In this work, we demonstrate two important features that arise out of introducing a liquid-crystalline (LC) compound into the rotator phase matrix and the consequent competition between the anisometric segments of the LC moieties and the aliphatic units. First, we show that the change in the structural character of the mixed medium depends on which of the entities forms the minority concentration: in the case of this being the alkane, the two components of the binary system are nanophase segregated, whereas if the LC molecules are present in a small concentration, then the layered structure merely gets roughened without any segregation. The second and more significant result of the calorimetric and X-ray experiments, at low LC concentrations, is the induction of a rotator phase that leads to unusual phase sequence not reported hitherto. Possible scenarios for the molecular arrangement are discussed. A Landau model is also presented that explains some of the observed features.
We report electrical conductivity measurements on a pure nematic liquid crystal (LC) and its composites comprising Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as well as aerosil particles. The inclusion of aerosil particles creating a gel network, albeit being non-conducting, surprisingly enhances the already high conductivity of the LC-GNP material. The presence of aerosil also makes the frequency dependence of the conductivity compatible with the universal phenomenon expected for disordered solids despite the LC confined in the network is still a liquid. The nature of the aerosil corona (hydrophobic/hydrophilic) also controls the behavior. We argue that these features are caused by the amelioration of the percolation network of GNPs through the primary gel network of the hydrogen bonding aerosil particles. The concept can be generalized for a variety of systems wherein metal nanoparticles are embedded in an insulating matrix.
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