The structure of the B4 phase in a bent-core liquid crystal, P-8-O-PIMB, and its mixtures with a calamitic liquid crystal, 5CB, has been observed with freeze-fracture replication electron microscopy. ...As a result, a novel twist grain boundary (TGB) structure with a helical pitch of about 2.5x102 nm was confirmed.
We have developed new protecting agents for metal nanoparticles based on cyanobiphenyl compounds with various ligand groups, aiming at an improvement of metal nanoparticle-doped LC displays. Pd ...nanoparticles capped with these protecting agents have been prepared. The size distribution of nanoparticles was examined by an electron microscopy. Dispersibility in common organic solvents was also studied by light scattering behavior and microscopic observation. Moreover, the nanoparticles have been added to various liquid crystals such as 5CB and other practical LC materials. Properties of the LC composite such as miscibility and phase transition have been examined.
The structure of the B4 phase in a bent-core liquid crystal, P-8-O-PIMB, and its mixtures with a calamitic liquid crystal, 5CB, has been observed with freeze-fracture replica electron microscopy. It ...was found that the novel TGB-like structure of the B4 phase becomes unclear and the helical pitch shortens as the mixture ratio of 5CB increases.
Crosslinked side-chain liquid crystalline gels thin films containing azobenzene moieties were prepared by photopolymerized under visible light (436 nm) irradiation in the liquid crystalline state. ...The monodomain and polydomain gels were prepared on a rubbed and non-rubbed polymer film, respectively. Swelling and shrinkage in low molecular weight liquid crystal solvents were induced by the photoisomerization of azobenzene. Because the amount of azobenzene moieties were lowered to 3 wt%, the whole volume changed, and the photoisomerization behavior could be precisely evaluated by optical microscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy.
