In this article, we present the formulation and characterization of a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) mixture W301 composed of pyrimidine compounds. We observed that upon doping magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) into the host FLC, the MgO NPs/FLC composite showed significantly faster response and improved optical tilt angle. The decreased response time in the MgO NPs/FLC composite has been attributed to the decrease in rotational viscosity and increase in surface anchoring energy. The decrease in rotational viscosity of the composite is due to the torque experienced by both MgO NPs and FLC in the presence of an electric field and perturbations of order parameters of FLC. Due to the enhanced surface interaction of MgO NPs having surface defects with mesogens, strong surface anchoring is experienced on the FLC molecules that not only increased the speed of the response but also improved the optical tilt angle of the MgO NPs/FLC composites, which ultimately resulted in improved contrast. A systematic approach has been followed to elucidate the idea of designing faster display devices with improved contrast based on MgO NPs/FLC composites.

The memory behavior in liquid crystals (LCs), although rarely observed, has made very significant headway over the past three decades since their discovery in nematic type LCs. It has gone from a mere scientific curiosity to application in variety of commodities. The memory element formed by numerous LCs have been protected by patents, and some commercialized, and used as compensation to non-volatile memory devices, and as memory in personal computers and digital cameras. They also have the low cost, large area, high speed, and high density memory needed for advanced computers and digital electronics. Short and long duration memory behavior for industrial applications have been obtained from several LC materials, and an LC memory with interesting features and applications has been demonstrated using numerous LCs. However, considerable challenges still exist in searching for highly efficient, stable, and long-lifespan materials and methods so that the development of useful memory devices is possible. This review focuses on the scientific and technological approach of fascinating applications of LC-based memory. We address the introduction, development status, novel design and engineering principles, and parameters of LC memory. We also address how the amalgamation of LCs could bring significant change/improvement in memory effects in the emerging field of nanotechnology, and the application of LC memory as the active component for futuristic and interesting memory devices.

We observed an ionic impurity-free memory effect using a zirconia nanoparticles (ZNPs)/ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) composite. The pure and ZNPs doped FLC cells have been analyzed by means of dielectric spectroscopy, polarizing optical microscopy and electrical resistance/conductivity measurements. The memory behavior in ZNPs/FLC composite was confirmed by dielectric dispersion, electrical, and optical studies, whereas dielectric loss spectra confirmed the disappearance of the low-frequency relaxation peak, which appears due to the presence of ionic impurities in FLC materials. The observed memory effect has been attributed to minimization of the depolarization field and ionic charges, whereas the reduction of ionic effects has been attributed to the strong adsorption of ionic impurities on the surface of ZNPs. The ZNPs dispersed in FLCs may play a role in trapping the impurity ions (minimize the depolarization fields) under applied voltage and cause a better memory effect in ZNPs doped FLC material. Moreover, the ion adsorption capability of ZNPs is found to be almost independent of temperature as the value of resistance did not change remarkably on increasing the temperature. The reduction of ionic impurities of FLCs by doping ZNPs did not show degradation over time, as we repeated the experiments on the same sample cells after many days and did not find ionic effects in the ZNPs doped FLC materials. These studies would be helpful to provide an idea for designing ionic impurity-free memory devices.

Liquid crystals (LCs) have become indispensable materials in everyday life, with their applications ranging from high-resolution television displays to being a part of sophisticated and modern equipment for telecommunications and sensing purposes. Various important features of LC-based devices such as their response time, driving voltage, contrast ratio and brightness are controlled by the uniform alignment of the constituting molecules along the substrate surface. This alignment control can be achieved through various mechanical and non-mechanical techniques. Nanoparticles (NPs), which have become an underbelly of the latest technological developments, can also be incorporated into these tunable materials in order to achieve the desired alignment in them. The present review highlights the advantages of NPs -induced alignment technique over the other contemporary techniques available for aligning LCs. The NPs-induced alignment process is found to be cost-effective and reliable, and it does not require extreme physical conditions such as a low pressure for its operation. This alignment process enables manufacturers to effectively control the pretilt angle of the LC molecules by simply varying the concentration of the doped NPs in the host LC matrix. Furthermore, the alignment behavior in LCs is found to be a function of shape, size, concentration and solubility of the doped NPs in these materials. At the end, this review focuses on the methodology of developing new innovative devices based on this alignment process. With the fabrication of new NPs of different morphologies in recent times, the horizon of the LC nanoscience field is continuously increasing, thus paving way for new devices capitalizing on this alignment technique.