Precise Self-Assembly of Large Colloidal Silver Nanowires in a Nematic Liquid Crystal Host with Long-Range Order
Jingxin Sang, Brecht Berteloot, Tangwu Li, Fangfang Chen, Hongliang Li, Nithin Thomas Jacob, Sunqian Liu, Jiatong Sun, Jihong Zheng, Kristiaan Neyts
Abstract
The self-assembly of colloidal nanoparticles into ordered structures induced by liquid crystals (LCs) shows great promise for innovative electric–optic devices. However, the large size of colloidal nanoparticles is a challenge for realizing highly ordered assemblies. In this work, micrometer-long colloidal silver nanowires (AgNWs) are dispersed in a nematic LC host, leading to a nanowire orientation that is orthogonal to the LC director. The colloidal nanowires align inside an LC cell with rubbed alignment layers, achieving an order parameter exceeding 0.9. In addition, self-assembly of colloidal AgNWs in micro domains with different orientations was obtained using photoalignment technology. The alignment of nanowires under the influence of the electric field increased the response speed of the LC devices. This research uncovers the interaction between nanowires and LC molecules, demonstrating the orientational ordering of AgNW colloids in micromulti domains. These findings provide a valuable strategy for designing self-assembled nanomaterials and practical electric–optic devices.