Hybrid organic/inorganic nanocomposite as a quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor under ambient conditions

We describe here a novel hybrid organic/inorganic nanocomposite of hexahexyloxytriphenylene (HAT6) which is a columnar discotic liquid crystal and gold tetrachloride, an inorganic dopant, showing enhanced dc and ac electrical conductivity by several orders of magnitude at ambient conditions vis-̀-vis the respective pure components. The composites at appropriate concentrations of the dopants retain the columnar hexagonal phase, which is confirmed by polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and x-ray scattering techniques. The UV-vis spectral studies show that the composites absorb in the entire visible range due to the formation of radical cations of the discotic molecules, making it a potential candidate for solar cell applications.