title: Molecular tilt near nanoparticles in the smectic-A phase of a de Vries liquid-crystalline compound.
abstract: We show how the inclusions of the nanoparticles or the clusters of nanoparticles in the liquid-crystalline smectic-A phase lead to layer deformations and may create a tilt in their vicinity, thus inducing locally a smectic-A-smectic-C transition. We have studied a freestanding film of "de Vries" compound, which exhibits the smectic-A-smectic-C transition without layer shrinkage, mixed with functionalized gold nanoparticles. The tilt induced by nanoparticle clusters, which decorate the edge dislocations, has been observed in the smectic-A phase. The tilt of liquid-crystal molecules near nanoparticles is a consequence of interaction of liquid-crystalline molecules with the surface of nanoparticles. The observed tilt may prove the concept of existence of a disordered tilt in the smectic-A phase of de Vries compounds. The tilt distribution near nanoparticles is discussed using both the smectic-A elasticity and local smectic-A-smectic-C transition.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lejček
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Novotná
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glogarová
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D010316:Particle Size; D044367:Phase Transition
chemical_list: D006046:Gold