Optical and Calorimetrical Studies of Liquid Crystalline Materials Doped with Nanoparticles
Abstract
Summary: Electro-optical properties of Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) films doped with different nanoparticles (NPs), as well as optical and morphological properties of liquid crystal/NP mixtures have been investigated. PDLC films were prepared by UV irradiation of thiol-ene monomers and liquid crystal E7 in the presence of a small amount (0.5 and 1 wt.%) of nanoparticles. The presence of NP strongly influence the properties of liquid crystal/NP mixtures. In particular, adding nanoparticles results in a decrease of the glass and nematic-isotropic transition temperatures of the LC, suggesting that strong interactions occur between LC and nanoparticles.