A molecular dynamics study of ferroelectric nanoparticles immersed in a nematic liquid crystal

• Published in: The European physical journal. E, Soft matter and biological physics Vol. 31; no. 1; pp. 81 - 87
• Main Authors: Pereira, M. S. S., Canabarro, A. A., de Oliveira, I. N., Lyra, M. L., Mirantsev, L. V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 2010
• Subjects: Biological and Medical Physics; Biophysics; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Complex Systems; Electricity; Iron - chemistry; Liquid Crystals - chemistry; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanotechnology; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Polymer Sciences; Regular Article; Soft and Granular Matter; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; Time Factors; Transition Temperature; Molecular Dynamic Simulation; Orientational Order; Liquid Crystal; Nematic Liquid Crystal; Liquid Crystal Molecule
• ISSN: 1292-8941; 1292-895X
• DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2010-10553-y

A large number of interesting phenomena related to the insertion of colloidal particles in liquid crystals (LC) have recently been reported. Here, we investigate effects caused by the addition of spherically shaped ferroelectric nanoparticles to a nematic liquid crystal. Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the density of LC molecules, the orientational order parameter, and the polar and azimuthal angle profiles are calculated as functions of the distance to the center of the immersed nanoparticle for different temperatures of the system. We observe that the assembly of ferroelectric nanoparticles enhances the nematic order in the LC medium changing many properties of its host above the nematic-isotropic transition temperature T * NI .