Capacitance changes in ferronematic liquid crystals induced by low magnetic fields

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2013 Jan;87(1):014501. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.87.014501. Epub 2013 Jan 3.

Abstract

The response in capacitance to low external magnetic fields (up to 0.1 T) of suspensions of spherical magnetic nanoparticles, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), SWCNT functionalized with carboxyl group (SWCNT-COOH), and SWCNT functionalized with Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles in a nematic liquid crystal has been studied experimentally. The volume concentration of nanoparticles was φ(1)=10(-4) and φ(2)=10(-3). Independent of the type and the volume concentration of the nanoparticles, a linear response to low magnetic fields (far below the magnetic Fréederiksz transition threshold) has been observed, which is not present in the undoped nematic.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Computer Simulation
  • Electric Capacitance
  • Liquid Crystals / chemistry*
  • Liquid Crystals / radiation effects*
  • Magnetic Fields*
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Radiation Dosage