Structural and Photoluminescence Studies of p-(n-heptyl) Benzoic Acid Liquid Crystals Dispersed with ZnO Nanoparticles

Abstract

Synthesis, structural and photoluminescence studies of p-(n-heptyl) benzoic acid (7ba) liquid crystalline (LC) compound with the homogeneous dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) in different weight concentrations (i.e., 1–2.5 wt.%) were undertaken. The synthesized samples were subsequently characterized by different characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical polarising microscopy (POM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. From the XRD studies, the diff raction peaks observed were well resolved indicating the presence of ZnO NPs. The particle size was found to be 60 nm. SEM studies revealed the uniform dispersion and the presence of ZnO NPs in the LC samples. From the DSC analysis, the temperatures at which the phase changes take place and the corresponding enthalpy values were estimated. FTIR spectra gave information about the various functional groups present in the samples. PL studies showed the peak at 663 nm due to the presence of point defects within the bandgap-like vacancies and interstitials known as deep-level emission.