The Design and Investigation of Nanocomposites Containing Dimeric Nematogens and Liquid Crystal Gold Nanoparticles with Plasmonic Properties Showing a Nematic-Nematic Phase Transition (N-N/N).

The construction of liquid crystal compositions consisting of the dimeric liquid crystal, (cyanobiphenyl dimer = 1'',9''-bis(4-cyanobiphenyl-4'-yl)nonane), and the range of nematic systems is explored. The materials include a laterally functionalized monomer, which was used to construct a phase diagram with , as well as one laterally linked dimer liquid crystal material and two liquid crystal gold nanoparticle (LC-Au-NPs) systems. For the Au-NP-LCs, the NP diameters were varied between ~3.

Design, synthesis, and characterization of mesogenic amine-capped nematic gold nanoparticles with surface-enhanced plasmonic resonances.

The use of the liquid-crystalline state to control the assembly of large (>5 nm) gold nanoparticles (NPs) is of considerable interest because of the promise of novel metamaterial properties of such systems. Here we report on a new approach for the preparation of large nematic gold NPs using a bifunctional capping agent that enables control over the particle size and serves as a linkage for subsequent functionalization with mesogenic groups. Properties of the NPs were characterized by HRTEM, NMR, DSC, TGA, UV/vis, OPM, and XRD studies.