Doping the nematic liquid crystal 5CB with milled BaTiO3 nanoparticles.

Doping the nematic liquid crystal 5CB with milled BaTiO3 nanoparticles.

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics (2012-12-12)

Alexander Lorenz, Natalie Zimmermann, Satyendra Kumar, Dean R Evans, Gary Cook, Heinz-S Kitzerow

ABSTRACT

The simple nematic mesogen 5CB was doped with milled BaTiO3 nanoparticles and was investigated with x-ray scattering. Doping with BaTiO3 nanoparticles of 9 nm in diameter led to the formation of crystallites. These crystallites precipitated and formed a waxlike nanodispersion of 5CB and nanoparticles, which led to intense x-ray scattering signals characteristic of a multilayer structure. Surprisingly, the multilayers possess unusual interlayer spacing, which cannot be explained by simple smectic order of the calamitic molecules.

MATERIALS

Product Number

Brand

Product Description

208108

Sigma-Aldrich

Barium titanate(IV), powder, <3 μm, 99%

338842

Sigma-Aldrich

Barium titanate(IV), powder, <2 μm, 99.5% trace metals basis

467634

Sigma-Aldrich

Barium titanate(IV), nanopowder (cubic crystalline phase), <100 nm particle size (BET), ≥99% trace metals basis

328510

Sigma-Aldrich

4′-Pentyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile, liquid crystal (nematic), 98%