Colloidal gold nanosphere dispersions in smectic liquid crystals and thin nanoparticle-decorated smectic films

We demonstrate that the layer structure and elasticity stabilize dispersions of colloidal nanoparticles in smectic liquid crystals. We use surface plasmon resonance spectra of gold nanospheres to probe their spatial distributions in the bulk of smectic lamellae. The average interparticle distances between the well-separated nanoinclusions in thin (< 100 nm) smectic films are probed by atomic force microscopy. We show that limited motion of nanoparticles across layers due to the one-dimensional quasi-long-range solid-like structure and their elasticity-mediated interactions preclude irreversible aggregation and enhance the stability of the ensuing nanoscale dispersions in thermotropic smectic liquid crystals.