Effects of CuInS_(2)nanoparticles on the alignment control of liquid crystals

Liquid crystal-nanoparticle composite systems have attracted particular attention for both academic interests and applications in inducing macroscopic alignment,altering electro-optic response of the liquid crystal hosts,and generating ordered,tunable soft metamaterials.Herein,the synthesis of two shapes of CuInS_(2)nanoparticles,tremelliform-like CuInS_(2)and frame-like CuInS_(2),and their utilization in producing uniform homeotropic alignment of liquid crystals are reported.Through exploring the mechanism in detail,the crystal structures of CuInS_(2)nanoparticles were found to rely heavily on the reaction solvents during the growth process,which in turn play a significant role on the anchor of liquid crystal molecules.The achieved homeotropic alignment shows high thermal stability,owing to the outstanding stability of the CuInS_(2)nanoparticles.In addition,combining this feasible method with parallel-aligning technique,variable pretilt angles in a range of~0.9°to~7.2°could be continuously achieved.