Mixed ionic-electronic conductivity in ZnO doped tunable soft materials

Abstract

Abstract Incorporating nanomaterials into liquid crystals has gained popularity since the rise of nanotechnology in the 1990s. The modifications of the physical and chemical properties of liquid crystals are envisioned with the formulation of nanocomposites. In this work, we provide the experimental evidence for the enhancement in the conductivity observed in composites of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) doped in hydrogen bonded liquid crystals (HBLCs) (P18:FBA) built with (4-pyridyl)-benzylidene-4ʹ-n-octadecylaniline as proton acceptors and 4-Fluorobenzoic acids as proton donors. The FTIR and Photoluminescence studies confirmed the decreased H-bonding interactions proving an efficient pathway for the observed conductivity in the nanocomposites. A theoretical model is proposed for the quantitative explanation of observed conductivity which emphasizes mixed ionic-electronic conductivity.

Keywords

• ZnO doped HBLCs
• Electrical conductivity
• Photoluminescence