Dielectric and Polarization Properties of BaTio3 Nanoparticle/Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Colloidal Suspension

We investigate the dielectric and polarization properties of a suspension of low concentration ferroelectric nanoparticles in ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) host. It is assumed that the particles do not disturb the liquid crystal alignment and the suspension macroscopically appears similar to the pure LC. It is found that the colloidal suspension exhibits dielectric memory and an enhancement in the spontaneous polarization values as compared to the pure LC. The effect is explained vis-à-vis the particles’ permanent polarization contribution that interacts with the LC molecules. We anticipate that these ferroelectric liquid crystalline (LC) nanocolloids can be used to improve the performance of liquid crystal displays and related optical communication applications