Cochleate-Doped Liquid Crystal as Switchable Metamaterial Window Mediated by Molecular Orientation Modified Aggregation

Pappu Lakshmi Madhuri, Shuddhodana, Zaher M.A. Judeh, Ibrahim Abdulhalim

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    11 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    A diversity of fascinating hollow and porous micro and nanoparticles are being developed for drug delivery purposes; however, their applications in other systems are barely touched. When filled by an active material, they form a tunable photonic metamaterial. Here, a small concentration of organic hollow cylinders called cochleates embedded into liquid crystals (LCs) is demonstrated to form a new switchable composite to control light scattering with voltage and temperature. The biocompatible cochleates, which are hollow, tube-like, and hydrophilic in nature, can trap the liquid crystal molecules thus altering the system behavior. A switching device as thin as 6 µm with 12 wt% cochleates concentration is shown to be adequate to reveal a switchable privacy window. Possible molecular arrangement of the liquid crystal within the cochleate particles is suggested, and unexpected increase of the scattering with temperature depending on the applied voltage is observed as a result of change in the cochleate aggregation depending on the LC molecule orientation.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number2000067
    JournalParticle and Particle Systems Characterization
    Volume37
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 1 May 2020

    Keywords

    • cochleates
    • liquid crystals
    • tunable metamaterials

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Chemistry
    • General Materials Science
    • Condensed Matter Physics

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