Fe3O4 nanoparticle effect on dielectric and ordering behavior of nematic liquid crystal host

Nematic liquid crystal doped with ferromagnetic nanoparticles shows interesting behavior in dielectric constant and order of LC molecules. In this study, E7 liquid crystal doped with different amounts of Fe3O4 nanoparticles was studied and dielectric properties of pure and ferro-nematic with special initial ordering (homogeneous and homeotropic orientations) in different temperatures were analyzed. Obtained data exhibits that dielectric constant in ferro-nematic state by increasing temperature increases more than pure nematic phases. Furthermore, the increases of Fe3O4 nanoparticle concentration into liquid crystal decrease the dielectric constant of ferro-nematic state but all concentrations of nanoparticles into liquid crystal show higher permittivity than pure LC. Finally, order parameters and orientations of studied samples, with different amounts of ferro dopants, were investigated using polarized spectroscopic method. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.