Impact of nanoparticles and chain length on the thermodynamic and electrical behavior of fluorine liquid crystals

Abstract In this work, hydrogen-bonded polar nematic liquid crystal series with the general formula nOBAF (n = 7 - 12) were studied. The mesomorphic characterization was once demonstrated through differential scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). The complexes with short alkyl chains (n=7, 8) presented a wide nematic range and monotropic smectic F mesophase, whereas the longer alkyl chain (n=10-12) analogues showed a high melting and low clearing mesomorphic liquid crystals. The thermal range of the mesophase and the birefringence were increased with reducing the chain length. Furthermore, the effect of the nanoparticles (LiNbO3) on the thermal and the electrical behavior of 8OBAF was investigated. The presence of LiNbO3 nanoparticles increased the conductivity and reduced the resistivity of the complex.