Discotic liquid crystal-nanoparticle hybrid systems

Discotic liquid crystals (DLCs) are nanomaterials with sizes ranging from 2 to 6 nm, and they are emerging as one-dimensional organic semiconducting materials. Recently, hybridization of these materials with various metallic and semiconducting nanoparticles (NPs) to alter and improve their properties has been realized. This article provides an overview of the developments in the field of newly immersed discotic nanoscience, a sub-field of liquid crystal (LC) nanoscience. As this field is also of great interest to readers without an LCs background, a brief introduction of the LC field is given first, with special emphasis on DLCs. This is followed by various DLC-NP hybrid systems. Finally, an outlook into the future of this newly emerging, fascinating and exciting field of discotic nanoscience research is provided. Liquid crystals are intriguing molecules that exhibit aspects of both liquids (in particular, the manner in which they flow) and crystalline solids (such as their molecular ordering). Owing to their interesting properties, liquid crystals and their derivatives have practical applications — in electronic displays, for example. Sandeep Kumar from the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, India, reviews recent developments in blending nano-objects with a particular type of ‘discotic’ liquid crystal. These consist of disc-shaped molecules — typically an aromatic core decorated with pendant alkyl chains — that self-assemble into a columnar arrangement through stacking interactions. By covalently grafting nanoparticles to the chains and non-covalently incorporating other materials, including carbon nanotubes or quantum dots, the properties of the liquid crystals can be altered — increasing their electrical conductivity, for instance. The hierarchical self-organization of appropriately functionalized disc-shaped molecules leads to the formation of discotic liquid crystals (DLCs). Columnar phases formed by these intriguing materials are emerging as one-dimensional organic semiconducting materials. Recently, their hybridization with various metallic and semiconducting nanoparticles has been realized to alter and improve their properties. This article provides an overview on the development in the field of newly immersed discotic nanoscience, a sub-field of liquid crystal (LC) nanoscience.