Tuning of optical properties and phase behavior of Nanomaterial-stabilized blue phase liquid crystals

Urice N Tohgha; Ecklin P Crenshaw; Michael E McConney; Kyung Min Lee; Nicholas P Godman

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.02.076

Tuning of optical properties and phase behavior of Nanomaterial-stabilized blue phase liquid crystals

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Jun:639:401-407. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.02.076. Epub 2023 Feb 16.

Authors

Urice N Tohgha¹, Ecklin P Crenshaw¹, Michael E McConney², Kyung Min Lee³, Nicholas P Godman⁴

Affiliations

¹ Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, United States; Azimuth Corporation, Fairborn, OH 45324, United States.
² Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, United States.
³ Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, United States; Azimuth Corporation, Fairborn, OH 45324, United States. Electronic address: kyungmin.lee.3.ctr@us.af.mil.
⁴ Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, United States. Electronic address: nicholas.godman.2@us.af.mil.

PMID: 36812855
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.02.076

Abstract

Hypothesis: Nanoparticles of various shapes and sizes can affect the optical properties and blue phase (BP) stabilization of BP liquid crystals (BPLCs). This is because nanoparticles, which are more compatible with the LC host, can be dispersed in both the double twist cylinder (DTC) and disclination defects in BPLCs.

Experiments: This study presents the first systematic study of the use of CdSe nanoparticles having various sizes and shapes (spheres, tetrapods and nanoplatelets) to stabilize BPLCs. Unlike previous studies using commercial nanoparticles (NPs), we custom-synthesized NPs with the same core and nearly identical long chain hydrocarbon ligand materials. Two LC hosts were used to investigate the NP effect on BPLCs.

Findings: The size and shape of nanomaterials greatly influence the interaction with LCs, and the dispersion of NPs in the LC medium affects the position of the BP reflection band and the stabilization of BPs. Spherical NPs were found to be more compatible with the LC medium than tetrapod shape and platelet shape NPs, resulting in a wider temperature range of BP and a redshift of the reflection band of BP. In addition, the inclusion of spherical NPs tuned the optical properties of BPLCs to a significant extent, whereas BPLCs with nanoplatelets displayed a limited influence on the optical properties and temperature window of BPs due to poor compatibility with LC hosts. The tunable optical behavior of BPLC as a function of the type and concentration of NPs has not been reported.

Keywords: Blue phase liquid crystal; Nanoparticle; Phase behavior; Stabilization; and Optical property.