Effect of the surface coating on the magnetic nanoparticle smectic-A liquid crystal interaction

The behavior of smectic-A liquid crystals with magnetic particles has not been very well characterized. The authors have studied the interaction of a smectic-A liquid crystal with magnetic nanoparticles. They concentrate on the effect of the particles' surface coating or functionalization compound. The surface coating in a nanoparticle is used to avoid phase separation and in biological applications to identify a particular cell or protein. Thus it is important to see how the surface coating interacts with the liquid crystal in conjunction with the magnetic nanoparticles. They have found out that depending on the surface coating the interaction of the nanoparticles with the liquid crystal varies. This variation is related to how the surface coating aligns the liquid crystal, how it contributes to the relative concentration of the nanoparticles in the liquid crystal-nanoparticle mixture, and how it affects the magnetic energy of the system. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.