Nano-colloids of Sn_{2}P_{2}S_{6} in nematic liquid crystal pentyl-cianobiphenile

Abstract

It has been shown experimentally that the ferroelectric nano-particles, in common with other molecular additives, shift the clearing temperature, Tc, extending or reducing the two-phase coexistent region and changing the average order parameter of the single-component nematics. An increase of up to 11 C or a smaller decrease of as much as 3 C of Tc, and corresponding changes of the order parameter were observed. In all cases the order parameter of the colloid followed the universal temperature behaviour, which is a characteristic of LCs with molecular additives.