Electro-optical enhancement in ferroelectric liquid crystals by Zr substituted BaTiO 3 nanoparticles

This study explores the impact of Zr (0.04 mol) substituted BaTiO3 (Zr-BT) nanoparticles on the electro-optical and dielectric properties of a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) material. The Zr-BT material with a tetragonal phase was synthesised using the solid-state reaction method. The planetary ball milling method was used to reduce the crystallite size of the Zr-BT material from 26 to 10 nm, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Zr-BT nanoparticles were incorporated into the FLC with varying concentrations (0.1, 0.15, 0.2, and 0.25 wt %) to explore their impact on optical, electrical, dielectric, and ferroelectric properties. Among the studied concentrations, the 0.15 wt % concentration of Zr-BT nanoparticles showed enhanced optical contrast, tilt angle, photoluminescence emission and excitation, spontaneous polarisation, and dielectric constant. Additionally, this concentration demonstrated a lower saturation voltage, higherAC resistance, and thermal stability compared to the pure FLC sample. These results suggest that incorporating 0.15 wt % Zr-BT nanoparticles into FLC can effectively enhance its multifunctional properties, making it a promising candidate for advanced electro-optical device applications.