Liquid crystalline anisotropic nanoparticles: From metallic and semiconducting nanoparticles to carbon nanomaterials

Abstract

Anisotropic nanomaterials made of metals, semiconductors, or carbon are of special interest for their mechanical, electrical, magnetic, optical, chemical and other spectacular properties in the bottom-up fabrication of advanced functional materials and devices in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. To widen their applicability, it is necessary to process these anisotropic building blocks into different well-defined assembly structures with preferred orientations. This chapter deals with the liquid crystalline properties of one- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) anisotropic nanoparticles such as nanorods, nanotubes, nanodiscs and graphene derivatives. The different strategies developed for the realization of liquid crystal phases from metallic, semiconducting and carbon based anisotropic nanoparticles have been discussed. High performance materials and devices fabricated by processing via liquid crystalline route of these materials have also been highlighted.