Effect of polymeric nanoparticles on dielectric and electro-optical properties of ferroelectric liquid crystals

It has been observed that the polymeric nanoparticles, copolymer of polybenzene and anthracene (PBA NPs), can induce a homeotropic (HMT) alignment in various ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) mixtures. The HMT alignment of various FLCs is attributable to the fact that the anthracene molecules favor an upright orientation (with a little tilt) on the surfaces of indium tin oxide and this upright orientation of anthracene molecules works as a template to align FLC molecules homeotropically. It has been concluded that the addition of similar to 0.5 wt % of PBA NPs is enough to induce a HMT alignment in a FLC material Felix 17/100. The influence of the PBA NPs concentrations on the transition temperature, physical constants (such as spontaneous polarization, rotational viscosity, and response time) and dielectric relaxation processes of FLC material (Felix 17/100) has also been investigated. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3452355]