Influence of Carbon Quantum Dots on the Orientational Order and Rotational Viscosity of 8CB

Soft nanocomposites were prepared by dispersing lipophilic carbon quantum dots (CQDs) in the liquid crystal compound 8CB. The quality of the dispersion was evaluated using fluorescence microscopy, while the microstructure of the samples was examined via polarized optical microscopy. We investigated the influence of CQDs on the orientational order parameter <i>S</i> as a function of temperature and sample composition by measuring birefringence. Additionally, the Fréedericksz transition threshold, along with the characteristic response and relaxation times, was measured for each sample as a function of temperature and applied voltage amplitude. The extracted rotational viscosity <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msub><mi>γ</mi><mn>1</mn></msub></semantics></math></inline-formula> exhibits a pretransitional divergence upon cooling toward the smectic-A phase. Its temperature dependence was analyzed using established models from the literature, and the corresponding activation energy was determined. Notably, our analysis suggests that the presence of CQDs alters the power-law dependence of <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msub><mi>γ</mi><mn>1</mn></msub></semantics></math></inline-formula> on the orientational order parameter <i>S</i>. The influence of CQDs on the elastic constants has been investigated.