Design and fabrication of many next-generation liquid crystal (LC)-based devices rely on nematic LC domains in the form of drops or emulsions. In addition to surfactants, solid nanoparticles may be used to stabilize LC-in-water Pickering emulsions, possibly adding new dimensions to device functionality. In this work we quantitatively study the adsorption of ethyl cellulose (EC) nanoparticles, as a colloid model system, on the 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl (5CB)–water interface via a series of dynamic interfacial tension measurements. It is found that the planar alignment of 5CB molecules at the interface with water is unaffected by particle adsorption, but a significant reduction of the interfacial tension over time occurs. It is also found that adsorption of EC nanoparticles to the LC–water interface is irreversible and results in close hexagonal packing. This study demonstrates a systematic approach to quantitatively investigate the effect of nanoparticles on the stabilization of LC emulsions.

中文翻译：

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向列型液晶微滴界面处乙基纤维素纳米粒子自组装的动力学

许多基于下一代液晶（LC）的设备的设计和制造都依赖于液滴或乳液形式的向列LC域。除表面活性剂外，固体纳米颗粒还可用于稳定水包液LC乳液，可能会增加设备功能的新尺寸。在这项工作中，我们定量研究了乙基纤维素（EC）纳米颗粒作为胶体模型系统在4-氰基-4'-戊基联苯（5CB）-水界面上的吸附，方法是通过一系列动态界面张力测量。发现5CB分子在与水的界面上的平面排列不受颗粒吸附的影响，但是随着时间的推移，界面张力会显着降低。还发现EC纳米颗粒到LC-水界面的吸附是不可逆的，并导致紧密的六边形堆积。这项研究表明了一种定量研究纳米粒子对LC乳液稳定性的系统方法。