Role of ZnO Nanorods in Modulating the Dielectric Characteristics of Nematic Liquid Crystals for Dual-Frequency Applications

We report a systematic study on the effect of incorporating zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods into the nematic liquid crystal 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB), a room-temperature nematic with positive dielectric anisotropy and a dominant longitudinal dipole moment. Owing to their anisotropic geometry, ZnO nanorods couple effectively with the nematic director and modify the dielectric relaxation dynamics of the host matrix. A pronounced reduction of the relaxation frequency (fR) and crossover frequency