Analysis of physical properties of nanomaterals polymer dispersed liquid crystal composites

Abstract

xx newlineABSTRACT newlineIn the modern era, dispersed liquid crystals particularly polymer dispersed liquid crystal materials play an important role in flexible displays, electronic glasses, sen-sors and smart windows due to its unique features and technological importance. In this thesis, we have investigated the impact of various nanostructured materials on the morphological behaviour, electro- optic, optical and dielectric properties of pol-ymer dispersed liquid crystals prepared using FLC/NLC, polymer and nanomaterials. The thesis is divided into seven chapters which include the introduction, literature survey, experimental techniques, results and discussion and finally the summary and conclusion. newlineChapter 1 provides a comprehensive overview of LCs, its features and characteristic properties. It delves into their classification, spanning lyotropic, thermotropic, and polymeric types and its phases. Focusing on the core of the thesis, attention turns toward polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs), comprising low-molecular-weight liquid crystals dispersed within an isotropic polymer matrix. The chapter in-vestigates diverse preparation methods for PDLCs while considering factors influ-encing phase separation and mesomorphic behaviour. Emphasis is also placed on the understanding of LC droplet configurations in different conditions and factors. In last practical applications of liquid crystal dispersions are also presented and discussed. newlineChapter 2 encapsulates a comprehensive summary of prior research work carried out by various research groups in dispersed liquid crystals. It offers insights into his-torical aspects, portraying the evolution of this field. The chapter highlights diverse approaches adopted to enhance conventional PDLCs properties. It provides a de-tailed review of nanoparticle-doped PDLC composites, doped with SiO2, TiO2, Sb2O5, Au, Ag, ZnO, MgO, CuO, BTO, BaTiO3 and Fe3O4. Emphasis is placed on the extensive work conducted to improve the physical properties of these compo-sites. Despite significant advancem