Liquid crystalline cellulose-based nematogels

Abstract

Physical properties of composite materials can be pre-engineered by controlling their structure and composition at the mesoscale. Yet, approaches for achieving this are limited and rarely scalable. We introduce a new breed of self-assembled nematogels formed by an orientationally ordered network of thin cellulose nanofibers infiltrated with a thermotropic nematic fluid. The interplay of orientational ordering within the nematic network and that of the small-molecule liquid crystal around it yields a composite with highly tunable optical properties. By means of combining experimental characterization and modeling, we demonstrate sub-millisecond electric switching of transparency and facile responses of the composite to temperature changes. Finally, we discuss a host of potential technological uses of these self-assembled nematogel composites, ranging from smart and privacy windows to novel flexible displays.

19 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (5)

• Nanosecond electro-optic switching of a liquid crystal
• Virtual surfaces, director domains and the Freedericksz transition in polymer stabilized nematic liquid crystals
• Belyi functions for hyperbolic hypergeometric-to-Heun transformations
• Paranematic-to-nematic ordering of a binary mixture of rod-like liquid crystals confined in cylindrical nanochannels
• Electro-Mechanical Fredericks Effects in Nematic Gels