Study of semiconductor quantum dots influence on photorefractivity of liquid crystals

In this paper, we present the results of doping nematic liquid crystals (nLCs) with semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) where we discuss the CdS and CdSe QDs influence on the optical properties of investigated liquid crystal structures, i.e., diffraction efficiency enhancement. We also present the mathematical model describing the interaction between QDs and nLC molecules in the liquid crystal volume. The aim of this study is to improve the comprehension of the mechanisms of photorefractive effect observed in functionalized liquid crystal structures, which can lead to the development of more efficient holographic materials for dynamic data processing applications. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4750060]