At first glance, obtaining liquid crystal from spherical metal nanopartiles (NPs) seems to be difficult task, as the key factor gathering formation of mesophase is molecular shape anisotropy. However, recetly few examples were reported of NPs, made of metallic core and grafted with soft organic layer, forming smectic and columnar structures in which metal cores and organic parts self-segregate in space^1,2. Properly grafted gold nanoparticles can even show temperature induced liquid crystalline polymorphism with unique phase sequence: from smectic to columnar structure. The transition is entropy driven; with increasing temperature ligands attached to nanoparticle surface require more space to fluctuate, in result smectic layer become deformed (‘peristaltic mode’) and voids between metal particles filled with organic molecules form hexagonal structure.

(1)   Wojcik, M.; Lewandowski, W.; Matraszek, J.; Mieczkowski, J.; Borysiuk, J.; Pociecha, D.; Gorecka, E. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 48, 5167-5169.

(2)   Wojcik, M.; Kolpaczynska, M.; Pociecha, D.; Mieczkowski J.; Gorecka E. Soft Matter, 2010, 6, 5397-5400.

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