Preparation and Dielectric Spectroscopy Characterization of lyotropic Liquid Crystal Materials

Abstract

Five samples of lyotropic liquid crystals of SDS/CTAB/water have been prepared, in different concentration. These samples were characterized by thermal polarizing microscopy for morphological, thermo-optical studies. The dielectric spectroscopy measurements were carried out in a wide frequency range 50Hz to 1 MHz by RCL meter. Sample show higher dielectric permittivity in the lower frequency. Large dispersion in permittivity has been observed in these systems at the expense of temperature variation in the frequency dependent studies, which may be associated with the change in the optimal area and ordering of the micelles. The temperature dependent dielectric studies reflect the decrease in the permittivity with the increment in the temperature however fluctuation near 600C owes to the phase transition. The ternary systems exhibit thermal hysteresis attributed to the unpacking of LLC structures to the micellar phase. These systems of materials are expected to find wide range of applications including their use in electrolytic capacitors and energy storage devices.