THESIS TITLE

My primary area of interest lies within the realm of liquid crystals, with a specific focus on ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals. Unlike typical nematic liquid crystals where the macroscopic polarization is null due to the director's inversion symmetry, Max Born proposed a polar nematic phase in 1916. This phase entails a macroscopic dipole moment resulting from ferroelectric-like arrangements within the bulk or separated domains with opposing orientations. However, the realization of a ferroelectric nematic phase remained elusive until the discovery of highly polar compounds RM734 and DIO in 2017.This novel nematic phase, characterized by its high polarity and spontaneous electrical polarization, exhibits remarkable physical and electro-optical properties compared to ordinary nematic liquid crystals. Its potential for fast liquid crystal displays and the exploration of intriguing physical phenomena has garnered significant interest within the liquid crystal and soft matter science and engineering communities. Despite this enthusiasm, the full extent of this new nematic phase remains largely unexplored.

Liquid crystals, due to the presence of aromatic rings, possess diamagnetic properties. Over 50 years ago, Brochard and de Gennes proposed a ferromagnetic phase, which remained elusive despite numerous global efforts. However, in 2013, the group of Mertelj et al. achieved a breakthrough by creating a uniform suspension of barium hexaferrite thin single-crystal nanoplatelets in a conventional nematic liquid crystal at room temperature. These materials exhibit high sensitivity to weak magnetic fields and hold promise for various applications. I propose to investigate the multiferroic aspect of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals by suspending barium hexaferrite nanoparticles within them. Such materials are expected to demonstrate significant responses to weak electric and magnetic fields. My proposed research aims to measure the temperature-dependent elastic constant, birefringence, dielectric constant, and dielectric relaxation properties of these multiferroic nematic liquid crystals.