The Impact of Nanoparticles on Phase Transitions of Liquid Crystals
A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanocomposite Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 129
Editors
Interests: soft matter; food preservation; high pressures; strong electric field; dielectric spectroscopy; kerr effect; nonlinear dielectric spectroscopy; biomateria; dielectric phase behavior in liquid crystal systems
Interests: liquid crystals; phase transitions; glass transitions; broadband dielectric spectroscopy; critical phenomena; population dynamics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Adding nanoparticles to a liquid crystalline matrix yields a qualitatively new type of Soft Matter system: Nanocolloids. The strong interactions of these components give rise to extraordinary properties, opening up a new world of Cognition. Liquid crystal materials possess unusual mesophases between an isotropic liquid and a solid-state crystal. These liquid crystal mesophases are associated with the selective melting/freezing of individual symmetry elements, and they are almost always accompanied by strong critical phenomena, even if the phase transition exhibits some discontinuity. Liquid crystalline mesophases are inherently highly sensitive to perturbations, including endogenous ones arising from the presence of nanoparticles. The latter are capable of strongly interacting with individual molecules, their sequences, and naturally occurring multiparticle pre-transition fluctuations. This is a significant source of unusual states and properties in liquid crystalline materials.
This Special Issue is planned to present these unique properties, with a selective focus on research and methods that can selectively detect features of systems. These are primarily various aspects of dielectric spectroscopy, due to the inherent tendency of liquid crystals to strongly interact with the electric field. Further studies include optical, microscopic, and focused thermodynamic studies, as well as those related to local topological changes induced by nanoparticles. The aim of this Special Issue is also to present theoretical modelling that enables interpretation of such results and, ultimately, a better understanding of the nature of processes in nanocolloids, which is still a cognitive challenge due to the enormous variety of such materials creation. Such results also provide an obvious new reference for potential applications.
In summary, topics associated with the above Special Issue scope are not limited, but particularly those related to the following topics are welcome:
- Effective preparation of liquid crystalline-based nanocolloids
- Broadband dielectric spectroscopy
- Microscopic insight, including polarization microscopy
- New generation focused thermodynamic studies
- Focus on the role of size, phase, and topology of nanoparticles in nanocolloids
- Liquid crystalline-based nanocolloids as a topological model system
- Phase transitions and critical phenomena
- Complex, glassy dynamics
- ‘Between bulk and nanoconstraints’ in liquid crystalline-based nanocolloids
Dr. S. J. Rzoska
Dr. Aleksandra Drozd-Rzoska
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- liquid crystals
- nanocolloids
- nanoparticles
- phase transitions
- dynamics
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