Dynamics of ZnO nanowires immersed in in-plane switching liquid crystal cells

TL;DR

This study explores the behavior of ZnO nanowires in liquid crystal cells under electric fields through combined numerical simulations and experiments, revealing the interplay of electric and elastic torques on nanowire dynamics.

Contribution

It provides new insights into nanowire-liquid crystal interactions by integrating experimental observations with numerical modeling under electric switching conditions.

Findings

Nanowire dynamics are governed by dielectrophoretic and elastic torques.

Experimental and simulated results show consistent nanowire motion patterns.

Liquid crystal phase influences nanowire relaxation and response.

Abstract

We investigated both numerically and experimentally the dynamics of individual ZnO nanowires immersed in an in-plane switching (IPS) 4-Cyano-4-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) liquid crystal cell under switching electric fields. Comparing the motion of nanowires captured by a high-speed CCD camera with the simulated results allows the interaction among nanowires, liquid crystals and external electric field to be studied. Our results show that in the nematic phase, the relaxation and response of a nanowire are both controlled by both the dielectrophoretic torque induced by the external electric field and the elastic torque arising from the liquid crystals.