Abstract
The electro-optical performance of nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) dispersed with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) was investigated in this study. The addition of a small amount of GNP dopant decreased the threshold voltage for LC reorientation due to the decreased elastic constant and increased dielectric anisotropy of the LC mixture. The response time of the LC cell was decreased with the addition of tiny amounts of GNPs because of decrease in rotational viscosity of LCs. The doped GNPs also shorten LC reorientation angle during voltage switching, further decreasing the response time of the LC cell. The addition of high amounts of GNPs slowed down the response time of the LC cell, because excess GNPs aggregated and formed networks in the cell, thus disturbing LC alignment and hindering LC reorientation. The measured dielectric spectra of the GNP-LC mixture revealed that the addition of GNPs decreased the relaxation time constant of the LCs. This result confirmed that the GNP dopant decreased the rotational viscosity and elastic constant of the LCs.
Highlights
Over the past several years, liquid crystals (LCs) have attracted considerable attention because of their birefringence, which has potential applications in various devices, such as flat panel displays, optical lens, and spatial light modulators
Metallic Ti NPs dispersed in nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) decrease the threshold voltage and response time and pretilt angle of LC cells [19]
The influence of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) concentration on voltage-dependent transmission, response time, and relaxation frequency of NLCs are reported in this paper
Summary
Over the past several years, liquid crystals (LCs) have attracted considerable attention because of their birefringence, which has potential applications in various devices, such as flat panel displays, optical lens, and spatial light modulators. GNPs dramatically increase the two-beam coupling effect, and enhance the optical response due to changes in the anchoring strength and pretilt angle caused by both the surfactant TOAB and the GNPs [15]; LCs with organically functionalized GNP dopant induce an increase in conductivity and formation of electrode polarization at low frequencies [16]. The fast response of super-twisted nematic cells doped with metallic NPs of Ag/Pd at low temperature has been studied by rotational viscosity measurement [18]. Metallic Ti NPs dispersed in NLCs decrease the threshold voltage and response time and pretilt angle of LC cells [19]. The influence of GNP concentration on voltage-dependent transmission, response time, and relaxation frequency of NLCs are reported in this paper. The experimental methods and results are discussed
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