Properties of n-Cyanobiphenyl Nematogene Phases Formed Between Carbon Nanotube Arrays: Computer Simulation Study

摘要

27.1 Introduction Properties of molecular systems physisorbed on 2D materials are of interest not only from fundamental point of view but also because of wide potential applications ranging from novel optoelectronic devices to temperature measurements and molec-ular sensing [1-3]. Ordering and stability of mesogen phases anchored on a variety of substrates strongly depend on the specific properties of these substrates. Carbon nanotubes are among the most promising substrates which are considered to this end [4-5]. Aromatic nature of carbon nanotube surface and the presence of two benzene rings in 5-cyanobiphenyls (5CB) structures lead to the formation of planar alignment of anchored mesogen molecules which form layered structures, where structural and dynamical properties depend on the number of C atoms in the aliphatic tail of the mesogens as well as on the distance between the carbon nanotube arrays.