Liquid crystals and nanoparticles

This book explores the interface between liquid crystal physics, polymer chemistry and nanotechnology, focusing on the self-organization of gold nanoparticles. It demonstrates how liquid crystals, especially nematic and cholesteric phases, can serve as dynamic matrices to control electromagnetic coupling between nanoparticles. Through polymerization, these structures become stable and offer innovative optical properties, with applications in sensors, smart objects, plasmonics and photonics. Through examples such as stabilized oily streaks and nanoparticle arches, this book shows how to manipulate soft matter to open up new scientific, medical and technological perspectives.