Application of retardation-modulation polarimetry in studies of nanocomposite materials

Abstract

We demonstrate an application of retardationmodulation polarimetry in studies of nanocomposite materials. Molecular ordering is explored on both nonchiral and chiral liquid crystals (LCs) in the bulk state and embedded into parallel-arrays of cylindrical channels of alumina or silica membranes of different channel sizes (12-42 nm). Two arms polarimetry serves for simultaneous measurements of the birefringence retardation and optical activity characterizing, respectively, orientational molecular ordering and chiral structuring inside nanochannels.