Abstract

Nematic and isotropic aqueous suspensions of beidellite clay sheets have been submitted to magnetic and a. c. electric fields. The nematic suspensions have positive anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and negative anisotropy of electric susceptibility because the clay sheets orient their normals parallel to the magnetic field but perpendicular to the electric field. Moreover, the isotropic phase shows a large electric-field-induced birefringence. By dissolving acrylamide monomers in the clay suspensions and photopolymerization, clay/polymer composite gels could be elaborated. Aligned and patterned composites could be produced by application of an electric field during polymerization.

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