title: Electric field effects on phase transitions in the 8CB liquid crystal doped with ferroelectric nanoparticles.
abstract: The influence of a low ac electric field on phase transitions is discussed in the case of a nematic liquid crystal 4-n-octyl-4^{'}-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) doped with Sn_{2}P_{2}S_{6} ferroelectric nanoparticles. The phase-transition temperatures obtained from temperature-dependent dielectric measurements were higher than those determined by the calorimetric method. This difference is explained by the presence of the measuring electric field which induces two effects. The first one is the amplification of the interactions between the nanoparticle polarization and the liquid-crystal order parameter. The second one is the field-induced disaggregation or aggregation process at high nanoparticle concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Dynamique et Structure des Matériaux Moléculaires (UDSMM), Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale (ULCO), 62228 Calais, France.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Unité de Dynamique et Structure des Matériaux Moléculaires (UDSMM), Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale (ULCO), 59140 Dunkerque, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daoudi
authors.affiliation: Unité de Dynamique et Structure des Matériaux Moléculaires (UDSMM), Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale (ULCO), 59140 Dunkerque, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Segovia-Mera
authors.affiliation: Unité de Dynamique et Structure des Matériaux Moléculaires (UDSMM), Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale (ULCO), 62228 Calais, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.affiliation: Unité de Dynamique et Structure des Matériaux Moléculaires (UDSMM), Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale (ULCO), 62228 Calais, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Legrand
authors.affiliation: Unité de Dynamique et Structure des Matériaux Moléculaires (UDSMM), Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale (ULCO), 62228 Calais, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Douali