Date of Award
5-2021
Document Type
Campus Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Physics, Applied
First Advisor
Mohamed A. Gharbi
Second Advisor
Chandra Yelleswarapu
Third Advisor
Jonathan Celli
Abstract
Liquid crystals have drawn interest in the past decade due to their ability to trap colloidal objects in topological defects and direct their assembly into specific patterns. Recently, R. Preusse, et. al. demonstrated the ability to assemble these defects into pre-defined patterns based on surface topography. Here, we expand on this work, dispersing gold nanoparticles into smectic liquid crystal and observing the structures formed. We demonstrate the ability to trap and spontaneously assemble these gold nanoparticles into the defect lines formed by the surface topography. In this way, we show that, by engineering precise surface topographies, we can direct the assembly of nanoparticles into complex structures using liquid crystals.
Recommended Citation
O'Keefe, Mackenzie, "Directing the Assembly of Gold Nanoparticles within Engineered Smectic Defects at Double Undulated Surfaces" (2021). Graduate Masters Theses. 679.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses/679
Comments
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