Production and Optical Properties of Liquid-Crystalline Composites Based on Cadmium Caprylate With Gold Nanoparticles

Composites based on mesomorphic cadmium caprylate with gold nanoparticles, produced and stabilized directly in a thermotropic liquide-crystalline medium, were synthesized. It was found by optical spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy that the gold nanoparticles have a spherical form with average diameter between 15 and 30 nm. It was shown that the optical characteristics of the obtained composites are affected by the cationic composition of the liquid-crystalline matrix.