Nematic director-induced switching of assemblies of hexagonally packed gold nanorods

Michael R Thomas; Susanne Klein; Robert J Greasty; Stephen Mann; Adam W Perriman; Robert M Richardson

doi:10.1002/adma.201201319

Nematic director-induced switching of assemblies of hexagonally packed gold nanorods

Adv Mater. 2012 Aug 22;24(32):4424-9. doi: 10.1002/adma.201201319. Epub 2012 Jul 3.

Authors

Michael R Thomas¹, Susanne Klein, Robert J Greasty, Stephen Mann, Adam W Perriman, Robert M Richardson

Affiliation

¹ Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, Centre for NSQI, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1FD UK.

PMID: 22761047
DOI: 10.1002/adma.201201319

Abstract

Self-assembled disc-shaped clusters of hexagonally packed, thiol-functionalized gold nanorods are prepared and dispersed in thermotropic nematic liquid crystals. The resultant hybrid complex fluids exhibit colloidal anisotropy with very high orientational order and are characterized by SAXS as shown in the figure. Precise, reconfigurable control of the cluster orientation at very low electric field strengths (0.18 V μm(-1) ) is achieved.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Colloids / chemistry
Gold / chemistry*
Liquid Crystals / chemistry
Nanotubes / chemistry*
Scattering, Small Angle
X-Ray Diffraction

Substances

Colloids
Gold