Liquid Crystals as an Active Medium: Novel Possibilities in Plasmonics

Abstract The peculiar properties of Liquid Crystals (LCs) foster new possibilities in plasmonics. The combination of the intrinsic tunability of LCs with the plasmonic properties of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) provides novel and intriguing features of systems commonly identified as active plasmonics. Being LCs, one of the media whose refractive index can be controlled through the application of external stimuli, they represent a convenient host for enabling plasmonic tunability. On the other hand, the localized plasmonic resonance, typical of NPs, can strongly influence and control the behaviour of LCs. In this paper, we overview several systems of NPs combined with LCs arranged in different configurations. The properties of the resulting systems suggest novel, intriguing outcomes in both fundamental and applied research.