Measuring Electric-Field-Induced Dipole Moments of Metal-Dielectric Janus Particles in a Nematic Liquid Crystal

Abstract

Janus particles are special types of nano or micro particles possessing at least two surfaces with distinct physical or chemical properties. The most studied Janus particles are the metal-dielectric particles, in which half surface of dielectric particles is coated with a very thin layer of metals. The external electric field induces dipole moment, and consequently the particles exhibit self-assembled dynamic structures in concentrated aqueous suspensions. Here, we study metal-dielectric Janus particles in a nematic liquid crystal under AC electric field and demonstrate a novel method for measuring effective induced dipole moments of the particles, through competition between elastic and electrostatic (Coulomb) forces of the two particles. The calculated polarisability of the particles based on a simple model agrees well with the effective polarisability measured in the experiments. Our findings have important bearing on functional materials based on metal-dielectric Janus particles dispersed in an anisotropic medium.