ZnO nanorod-smectic liquid crystal composites: Role of ZnO particle size, shape, and concentration on liquid crystal order and current–voltage properties

Abstract

This paper investigates how changing the ZnO nanorod size and concentration in a smectic liquid crystal affect the order of the liquid crystal and the current-voltage (I-V) curves in these ZnO nanorods-octylcyanobiphenyl (8CB) liquid crystal nanocomposites. 7 Â 5 Â 5 and 18 Â 7 Â 7 nm 3 nanorods show an improvement in the alignment of the liquid crystal with increasing weight percentage of ZnO nanoparticles, up to a concentration of approximately 35% wt., similar to our previous results on ZnO nanoparticles with 8CB. The resulting I-V curves are comparable to those obtained in other organic materials used for photovoltaic applications. The I-V response of these nanorod-liquid crystal nanocomposite represents an order of magnitude improvement over what was obtained with spherical nanoparticles. V

Smectogenic liquid crystals and nanoparticles: an approach for potential application in photovoltaics

“…This same trend was also observed in the case of ZnO in 8CB. 14,25 This can be easily distinguished in the texture analysis taken at 70 ºC for each sample, as seen in Figure 6. This unusual behaviour for the improved alignments of M6R8 compared with I6R8 nanocomposites samples motivated us to perform more detailed experiments with the planar X-ray scattering geometry.…”

“…We also found that for nanorods, this concentration was 35% wt. 25 More recently, we have found that the nanoparticles and the liquid crystals in the vicinity of the nanoparticles form a short range structure that still maintains a smectic order. 26 On the other hand, we have been working in developing noncentrosymmetric materials that exhibit LC properties, being able to control antiferro- [27][28][29][30][31][32][33] and ferroelectricity 34 just by the proper choice of the organic structure.…”

Facet dependent electro‐optical properties of liquid crystals doped with Au nanocrystals

“…The combination of nanoparticles (NPs) and liquid crystals (LCs) has drawn widespread attention in the scientific field [1–3]. In the LC/NP composite systems, because of good compatibility of LCs and excellent properties of NPs, the NPs can improve the electro‐optical properties of LCs [4–14], regulate LC alignment [15–19], and stabilise LC phases [20, 21]. The E‐O properties of chiral nematic LCs (N*LCs) are obviously improved by Cu 2 O with different crystal planes due to the exposure of different properties [8].…”

Interfacial Structure of a Liquid Crystal/Nanoparticle Nanocomposite Studied by X-ray Scattering: Indirect Evidence for the Role of Faceting of the Nanoparticles

“…6,7 The structure of the liquid crystal, the interfacial liquid crystal, and the nanoparticle represent three regions that may or may not be arranged with respect to each other in an orderly fashion, and will affect the transport of charges from one of the components to the other. Specifically, we have studied nanocomposites consisting of smectic liquid crystals and nanoparticles for their applications in devices such as photovoltaics 8,9 and to model biological devices. 10 Composites consisting of a mixture of nanoparticles and ordered liquid crystals have been considered for bioengineering applications, 10−14 for membrane fabrication, 15,16 drug delivery, 15−17 photovoltaic, 8,9,18−22 photonic, 23−26 and metamaterials.…”