Thermal behavior of silver-containing mesogenic cyanobiphenyl films

Formation of nanostructures in metal-mesogenic co-condensate films have been studied during low temperature codeposition of metal and organic component vapors—long chain alkyl(alkoxy)cyanobiphenyls (CB): CnH2n+1→CnH2n+1, where n=5 (5CB), 8 (8CB), and CnH2n+1OC6H5C6H5CN, n=8 (8OCB). The existence of low temperature Ag–CB complexes was shown by IR, UV-visible and ESR techniques. Thermal degradation of the complexes by annealing of the samples up to 300 K led to the formation of nanosize (15–30 nm) silver particles incorporated in anisotropic CB-structure and their further aggregation in mesogenic matrices.