Ion trapping by means of ferroelectric nanoparticles, and the quantification of this process in liquid crystals

Abstract

Nanoparticles embedded in liquid crystals can trap mobile ions and decrease their concentration. In this paper, we generalize the nanoparticles-based approach and, through the quantitative analysis, identify the ferroelectric micro- and nanomaterials as the most promising "ion traps" that ensure close to 100% liquid crystal purification. We demonstrate that the treatment of liquid crystals with ferroelectric materials leads to a two-order of magnitude decrease in their electrical conductivity. This value exceeds previous data reported for similar systems by a factor of 10. Ferroelectric nanoparticles, when dispersed and stabilized in liquid crystals, act as highly efficient permanent ion traps, solve the problem of uncontrolled ionic contaminations, and eliminate the negative effects caused by ions.