Nanocomposite system of a discotic liquid crystal doped with thiol capped gold nanoparticles

Abstract

In the pursuit of novel charge transporting materials, composite systems have always proved to be a promising option. While it seems cumbersome and ponderous to molecularly engineer a material, combining and customizing two exclusive systems to obtain a new material, with desired properties appears far simpler and more yielding. One such developing field of research is the study of discotic liquid crystal (DLC) – nanocomposite systems for applicability as a charge transport material in the form of one-dimensional nanowires or two-dimensional conducting matrix layers. In this work, we present a detailed study of composite systems of gold nanoparticles doped in Hexa-hexylthiotriphenylene DLC. In addition to an appreciable increase in conductivity, we also observe a decrease in lattice parameters by using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). An increase in the enthalpy of transition observed by using thermodynamic study and formation of dendritic textures observed by using polarized light microscopy (PLM) study signifies the formation of perfect hexagonal structures despite doping. Overall, the different studies suggest that the doped nanoparticles have very well settled in between host molecules without disturbing the molecular ordering of the hosts. Such results are encouraging and indicative of the potential applicability of the nanocomposite systems in portable electronic devices as a charge transport layer.