Blocking of phase transitions in liquid crystal 5*CB (isopentylcyanobiphenyl) as a result of surface interactions at the nano-membranes

TL;DR

This study investigates how surface interactions within nano-membranes influence the phase transitions of liquid crystal 5*CB, revealing that smaller pores can block certain phase changes.

Contribution

It demonstrates the suppression of phase transition in 5*CB within 20 nm pores due to surface interactions, providing new insights into nano-confinement effects on liquid crystals.

Findings

Blocking of phase transition into solid phase in 20 nm pores

Surface interactions significantly alter molecular dynamics

Comparison with bulk 5*CB highlights confinement effects

Abstract

In this paper we present results of dielectric measurements of the liquid crystal (LC) 5*CB arranged in the porous matrices with a pore diameter of 100 and 20nm. We analyze the effect of surface interactions on the dynamics of molecules. The results were compared with the results of the bulk 5*CB. The most important result is the blocking of phase transition of 5*CB into the solid phase in a matrix of 20 nm.