02223nas a2200241   4500008004100000022001400041245010900055210006900164260000900233490000700242520136600249653003501615653001601650653001201666653002401678653002501702100001501727700002801742700003501770700002001805700003101825856012501856       2025                        eng d  a1439-423500aTailoring of rheological properties through hydrophobic interactions in silica-based liquid crystal gels0 aTailoring of rheological properties through hydrophobic interact  cNOV 0 v263 a<p>
	Modification of the intrinsic hydrophilic character of the pristine silica nanoparticles (SiNP) decorated with silanol moieties into a hydrophobic state has been of substantial interest, owing to the amenability to gelation of desirable liquids. Many reports exist on composites of SiNP with liquid crystals (LCs), an epitome of anisotropic soft matter. The fumed SiNP, unlike its precipitated counterpart, has been the preferred variety. A family of colloidal gel systems is reported, consisting of precipitated SiNP in a nematic LC, formed by substituting some native silanols with methyl, butyl, or dodecane chains. Detailed steady state and oscillatory rheological measurements are performed, along with analyses using the soft glass and other viscoelastic models. The study demonstrates that the sophisticated modified fractional models, Kelvin-Voight and Maxwell, proposed for generalized viscoelastic behavior of soft materials, are quite successful in describing these nematic gels as well. The observed nontrivial relationship between the ligand length and the strength of the gel network is elucidated on the basis of a judicious combination of the van der Waals, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interactions, leading to a detailed understanding of the viscoelastic behavior of the composites and the influence of SiNP surface chemistry.</p>
10afractional viscoelastic models10aHydrophobic10anematic10arheological studies10asilica nanoparticles1 aSumana, S.1 aChakrabortty, Pratyasha1 aKarumuthil, Subash, Cherumanni1 aPrasad, Krishna1 aPrasad, Bhagavatula, L. V.  uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/tailoring-rheological-properties-through-hydrophobic-interactions-silica-based-liquid