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Engineered Anisotropic Fluids of Rare‐Earth Nanomaterials
Author(s) -
Shao Baiqi,
Wan Sikang,
Yang Chenjing,
Shen Jianlei,
Li Yiwen,
You Hongpeng,
Chen Dong,
Fan Chunhai,
Liu Kai,
Zhang Hongjie
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.202007676
Subject(s) - thermotropic crystal , nanomaterials , van der waals force , liquid crystal , nanoparticle , materials science , nanotechnology , nanorod , anisotropy , polymer , self assembly , chemical physics , chemistry , liquid crystalline , organic chemistry , molecule , optics , composite material , optoelectronics , physics
The self‐assembly of inorganic nanoparticles into well‐ordered structures in the absence of solvents is generally hindered by van der Waals forces, leading to random aggregates between them. To address the problem, we functionalized rigid rare‐earth (RE) nanoparticles with a layer of flexible polymers by electrostatic complexation. Consequently, an ordered and solvent‐free liquid crystal (LC) state of RE nanoparticles was realized. The RE nanomaterials including nanospheres, nanorods, nanodiscs, microprisms, and nanowires all show a typical nematic LC phase with one‐dimensional orientational order, while their microstructures strongly depend on the particles’ shape and size. Interestingly, the solvent‐free thermotropic LCs possess an extremely wide temperature range from −40 °C to 200 °C. The intrinsic ordering and fluidity endow anisotropic luminescence properties in the system of shearing‐aligned RE LCs, offering potential applications in anisotropic optical micro‐devices.