Mixtures Composed of Liquid Crystals and Nanoparticles

The past decade has witnessed an increased interest in the study of mixtures [1–3] of various soft materials and nanoparticles. A characteristic feature of a nanoparticle is that at least one of its dimensions is limited to between 1 and 100 nm. It is of interest to find combinations where each component introduces a qualitatively different behavior into the system. Such systems are expected to play an important role in the emerging field of nanotechnology and also in composites with extraordinary material properties.