Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A molecular dynamics study of ferroelectric nanoparticles immersed in a nematic liquid crystal

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
The European Physical Journal E Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A large number of interesting phenomena related to the insertion of colloidal particles in liquid crystals (LC) have recently been reported. Here, we investigate effects caused by the addition of spherically shaped ferroelectric nanoparticles to a nematic liquid crystal. Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the density of LC molecules, the orientational order parameter, and the polar and azimuthal angle profiles are calculated as functions of the distance to the center of the immersed nanoparticle for different temperatures of the system. We observe that the assembly of ferroelectric nanoparticles enhances the nematic order in the LC medium changing many properties of its host above the nematic-isotropic transition temperature T * NI .

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. A.C. Edrington, A.M. Urbas, P. DeRege, C.X. Chen, T.M. Swager, N. Hadjichristidis, M. Xenidou, L.J. Fetters, J.D. Joannopoulos, Y. Fink, E.L. Thomas, Adv. Mat. 13, 421 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. T. Araki, H. Tanaka, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 18, 193 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. V.K. Gupta, J.J. Skaife, T.B. Dubrovsky, N.L. Abbott, Science 279, 2077 (1998)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. H. Stark, Phys. Rep. 351, 387 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. J.C. Loudet, P. Barois, P. Poulin, Nature 407, 611 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. V.G. Nazarenko, A.B. Nych, B.I. Lev, Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 075504 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. V. Popa-Nita, P. Oswald, J. Chem. Phys. 127, 104702 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. K. Takahashi, M. Ichikawa, Y. Kimura, Phys. Rev. E 77, 020703(R) (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. C.M. Nöel, G. Bossis, A.M. Chaze, F. Giulieri, S. Lacis, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 217801 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. E. Graugnard, S.N. Dunham, J.S. King, D. Lorang, S. Jain, C.J. Summers, Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 111101 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Y. Reznikov, O. Buchnev, O. Tereshchenko, V. Reshetnyak, A. Glushchenko, J. West, Appl. Phys. Lett. 82, 1917 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. M. Kaczmarek, O. Buchnev, I. Nandhakumar, Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 103307 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. E. Ouskova, O. Buchnev, V. Reshetnyak, Y. Reznikov, Liq. Cryst. 30, 1235 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. O. Buchnev, A. Dyadyusha, M. Kaczmarek, V. Reshetnyak, Y. Reznikov, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 24, 1512 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. G. Cook, A.V. Glushchenko, V. Reshetnyak, A.T. Griffith, M.A. Saleh, D.R. Evans, Opt. Express 16, 4015 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. F. Li, O. Buchnev, C.I. Cheon, A. Glushchenko, V. Reshetnyak, Y. Reznikov, T.J. Sluckin, J.L. West, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 147801 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. F. Li, O. Buchnev, C.I. Cheon, A. Glushchenko, V. Reshetnyak, Y. Reznikov, T.J. Sluckin, J.L. West, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 219901 (2007) (E)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. S. Kralj, Z. Bradač, V. Popa-Nita, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 20, 244112 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. M. Čopič, A. Mertelj, O. Buchnev, Y. Reznikov, Phys. Rev. E 76, 011702 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. A.V. Zakharov, A. Maliniak, Eur. Phys. J. E 4, 85 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Th. Soddemann, G.K. Auernhammer, H. Guo, B. Dünweg, K. Kremer, Eur. Phys. J. E 13, 141 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. M. Bertrand, G.W. Slater, Eur. Phys. J. E 23, 83 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. M. Baratlo, H. Fazli, Eur. Phys. J. E 29, 131 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. M. Allen, D.J. Tildesely, Computer Simulations of Liquids (Claredon Press, Oxford, 1987)

  25. S. Chandrasekhar, Liquid Crystals (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1992)

  26. P.G. de Gennes, The Physics of Liquid Crystals (Claredon Press, Oxford, 1993)

  27. P. Sheng, Phys. Rev. Lett. 37, 1059 (1976)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. J. Fukuda, H. Yokoyama, Eur. Phys. J. E 21, 341 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. C. Sagui, T.A. Darden, Annu. Rev. Biophys. Biomol. Struc. 28, 155 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. L.M. Lopatina, J.V. Selinger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 197802 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  31. J. Xu, D. Bedrov, G.D. Smith, M.A. Glaser, Phys. Rev. E 79, 011704 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  32. M. Cvetko, M. Ambrožič, S. Kralj, Liq. Cryst. 36, 33 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, 57072-970, Maceió, AL, Brazil

    M. S. S. Pereira, A. A. Canabarro, I. N. de Oliveira, M. L. Lyra & L. V. Mirantsev

  2. Institute of the problems of Mechanical Engineering, Academy of Sciences of Russia, 199178, St. Petersburg, Russia

    L. V. Mirantsev

Authors
  1. M. S. S. Pereira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. A. Canabarro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. I. N. de Oliveira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. L. Lyra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. L. V. Mirantsev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to I. N. de Oliveira.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pereira, M.S.S., Canabarro, A.A., de Oliveira, I.N. et al. A molecular dynamics study of ferroelectric nanoparticles immersed in a nematic liquid crystal. Eur. Phys. J. E 31, 81–87 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2010-10553-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2010-10553-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation