We report on a comparison between the random disorder effects of an hydrophobic (R812) or an hydrophilic (A380) aerosil on the order and dynamics of the 3beta-DOXYL-5alpha-cholestane spin probe in the liquid crystal 4-n-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) using the ESR technique. Increasing the aerosil concentration up to 3 wt% the probe order parameter is depressed with a larger effect for the hydrophilic aerosil. The dynamics in the isotropic phase is of Arrhenius type and essentially concentration and aerosil-type independent. Deviations from this behavior are observed in the nematic even at 0.3 wt% of hydrophilic aerosil and are well represented by a Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann type law, suggesting that a glass-like state can be induced by a very small amount of random disorder.
A comparison of the effects of dispersed hydrophobic or hydrophilic aerosil nanoparticles on the order and dynamics of the 5CB liquid crystal
BACCHIOCCHI, CORRADO;
2004-01-01
Abstract
We report on a comparison between the random disorder effects of an hydrophobic (R812) or an hydrophilic (A380) aerosil on the order and dynamics of the 3beta-DOXYL-5alpha-cholestane spin probe in the liquid crystal 4-n-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) using the ESR technique. Increasing the aerosil concentration up to 3 wt% the probe order parameter is depressed with a larger effect for the hydrophilic aerosil. The dynamics in the isotropic phase is of Arrhenius type and essentially concentration and aerosil-type independent. Deviations from this behavior are observed in the nematic even at 0.3 wt% of hydrophilic aerosil and are well represented by a Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann type law, suggesting that a glass-like state can be induced by a very small amount of random disorder.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
