Thermotropic Liquid Crystals as Templates for Anisotropic Growth of Nanoparticles
Résumé
The organization of a thermotropic liquid crystal can be used to control the growth of inorganic nano-objects (like ZnO). When the systems are in their nematic phase state, anisotropic nanoparticles are formed, while in isotropic conditions, isotropic nanoparticles are obtained. Playing with the exact nature of the liquid crystal enables control of the size and the aspect ratio of the nanoparticles.