Abstract
We report on experimental studies focusing on the dynamic ac magnetic susceptibility of a ferronematic. It has been shown recently, that in the isotropic phase of a ferronematic, a weak dc bias magnetic field of a few oersteds increases the ac magnetic susceptibility. This increment vanishes irreversibly if the substance is cooled down to the nematic phase, but can be reinduced by applying the dc bias field again in the isotropic phase [Tomašovičová, N. et al. Soft Matter 2016, 12, 5780–5786]. The effect has no analogue in the neat host liquid crystal. Here, we demonstrate that by doubling the concentration of the magnetic nanoparticles, the range of the dc bias magnetic field to which the ferronematic is sensitive without saturation can be increased by about two orders of magnitude. This finding paves a way to application possibilities, such as low magnetic field sensors, or basic logical elements for information storage.
Highlights
The great attention that nematic liquid crystals (LCs) have attracted in recent decades is due to the anisotropy of their physical properties
The stable colloidal suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in nematic LCs are known as ferronematics (FNs)
Several theoretical models have been developed by extending the Ericksen–Leslie continuum theory [4,5,6], or the hydrodynamic description [1,7,8] for taking into account the interactions between MNPs, the host liquid crystal
Summary
The great attention that nematic liquid crystals (LCs) have attracted in recent decades is due to the anisotropy of their physical properties.
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