Dielectric and electro-optic study of nematic 5CB confined in nitrate cellulose membranes

Dielectric spectroscopy is employed to analyse the molecular dynamics of a confined nematogen in micrometer cavities of cellulose membrane filters. The dielectric data reveal that the confinement influences the relative amplitudes of the observed molecular relaxation processes, independent of the pore diameter. The dynamics of mesogenic molecules in confining geometry similar to that in the bulk phase. The geometry of the porous material determines the orientational state of the director field. We study the electrooptical properties by measuring electrically controlled light scattering of the composite system.