화학공학소재연구정보센터
Langmuir, Vol.28, No.13, 5589-5595, 2012
Twofold Light and Magnetic Responsive Behavior in Nanoparticle-Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Systems
We demonstrate the dual magnetic and light responsive nature of hybrid mesophases constituted by Fe3O4 nanoparticles dispersed in lipid-based lyotropic liquid crystals (LC). When subjected to an external magnetic field in the mesophase isotropic state, the nanoparticles aggregate and orient along the magnetic field direction, and upon cooling the system through the disorder order transition the aggregates drive the orientation of the mesophase via heterogeneous nucleation; furthermore, order disorder transitions in the lipidic mesophase can be triggered by Fe3O4-induced photothermal effect under visible light exposure. Both the orientational order and the photothermal effect of the hybrid mesophase can be tuned by the nanoparticle content, offering a general route for controlled assembly of complex fluids with combined magnetic and light responsiveness.