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Effect of inorganic 1 D nanoparticles on electrooptic properties of 5 CB liquid crystal
Author(s) -
Rajh Denis,
Shelestiuk Sergii,
Mertelj Alenka,
Mrzel Aleš,
Umek Polona,
Irusta Silvia,
Zak Alla,
DrevenšekOlenik Irena
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
physica status solidi (a)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1862-6319
pISSN - 1862-6300
DOI - 10.1002/pssa.201329363
Subject(s) - dopant , thermotropic crystal , nanorod , materials science , liquid crystal , nanoparticle , nanowire , threshold voltage , dielectric , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , voltage , optoelectronics , doping , liquid crystalline , physics , transistor , quantum mechanics , engineering
Electrooptic properties of mixtures of 4‐cyano‐4′‐pentylbiphenyl (5CB) thermotropic liquid crystal with four different inorganic dopants: (i) MoSI nanowires, (ii) MnO 2 nanorods, (iii) Ag nanowires, and (iv) WS 2 nanotubes were investigated by a conventional optical measurement technique. The dopant concentrations were in the range from 0.1 to 0.5 wt%. In all mixtures aggregation of the 1D nanoparticle (1D‐NP) material was observed, therefore electrooptic response was probed in the regions in‐between the aggregates. All four 1D‐NP dopants produce a decrease of the threshold voltage for electrooptic switching and also a decrease of the corresponding switching times. The most profound effects are observed for MnO 2 /5CB system, which exhibits a reduction of the threshold voltage by a factor of 1.7 and a reduction of the total switching time by a factor of 1.5. The effect is associated with an increase of the dielectric anisotropy of the mixture. The specific behaviour of the MnO 2 nanorods is attributed to their relatively low aspect ratio that provides most suitable conditions for good alignment in the liquid crystal host.