Synthesis and Alignment of Nanostructured Materials Using Liquid Crystals

Liquid crystal (LC) science and technology have made important contributions to nanoscience and nanotechnology in areas such as medical diagnostics, drug delivery, and in high-tech devices. The major nanotechnology contribution is their capability to provide new synthetic procedures, self-assembly, and alignment of nanoscale materials with controlled uniform size, shape, and dimensionality. The self-assembly of the liquid crystalline systems, particularly the lyotropic LC type, enables the integration of lipophilic and hydrophilic reagents that meet to react at the interface. Therefore the reactionand the products properties are governed by the host liquid crystalline medium and by the external conditions (e.g., light, heat, chemical environment, and electric and magnetic fi eld), which directly affect the LC hosting system. This chapter attempts to give an overview of current research in the fi elds of synthesis, self-assembly, and alignment of nanomaterials using mainly lyotropic LCs and partially thermotropic LCs as direct and reverse templates. In the near future, liquid crystals are expected to play a prevalent role in nanoscience and nanotechnology and can potentially be used as new functional materials for electron, ion, molecular transporting, sensory, catalytic, optical, and bioactive materials.