Alignment of liquid crystals doped with Nickel nanoparticles containing different morphologies

Abstract

Uniform homeotropic and homogeneous alignment of liquid crystals (LCs) is facilely achieved by dispersing Ni nanoparticles (Ni NPs) into the LCs. The alignment mode depends on the morphology of the Ni NPs. The mechanism of NP-induced LC alignment is elucidated clearly, indicating that the perfect orientation arises from the adsorption of Ni NPs on the substrate. © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.