INVESTIGADORES
SOULE Ezequiel Rodolfo
artículos
Título:
Phase Equilibrium and Structure Formation in Gold Nanoparticles Nematic Liquid Crystals Composites: Experiments and Theory
Autor/es:
EZEQUIEL R. SOULÉ; JONATHAN MILETTE; LINDA REVEN; ALEJANDRO D. REY
Revista:
SOFT MATTER
Editorial:
ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY
Referencias:
Lugar: CAMBRIDGE; Año: 2012 vol. 8 p. 2860 - 2866
ISSN:
1744-683X
Resumen:
A theoretical and experimental study of mixtures of a calamitic nematic liquid crystal and gold nanoparticles capped with mixed monolayers (alkylic + mesogenic ligands) is presented. The effect ofthe ligand monolayer composition and nanoparticle concentration on the solubility in the isotropic phase and on the isotropicnematic phase transition is studied. Mixed monolayers show the highest miscibility and lead to the formation of well-defined cellular networks. This behaviour is explained in terms of a mean-field thermodynamic model, in combination with a phenomenological expression for the isotropic interaction parameter that accounts for entropic and enthalpic effects of the mixed ligandmonolayer. The final structure of the material is shown to be determined essentially by the phase equilibrium behaviour.
