Abstract
This article aims to study the impact of carbon nanotube dispersions in liquid crystals. A theoretical model for the system’s dynamics is presented, considering the elastic continuum theory and a planar alignment of liquid crystal molecules on the nanotube’s surface. Experimental calculation of the relaxation times in the magnetic field was made for two cases: when the field was switched on (τon), and when it was switched off (τoff). The results indicate an increase of the relaxation time by about 25% when the magnetic field was switched off, and a smaller increase (about 10%) when the field was switched on, where both were in good agreement with the theoretical values.
Highlights
The interest is proved by the many types of nanotubes synthesized at a global level for applications in energy storage, automotive parts, boat hulls, sporting goods, water filters, thin-film electronics, coatings, actuators, and electromagnetic shields
We present a theoretical analysis of liquid crystal composites with single-walled carbon nanotubes, pointing to the advantages or disadvantages for different applications
When the field is switched off, the elastic forces acting between the molecules are too weak to withdraw the nanotubes in their original position as fast as they would with the molecules, so the relaxation is much slower. This manuscript presented a theoretical analysis of the effects of single carbon nanotube insertion in liquid crystal cells, pointing to both the advantages and disadvantages of these composites
Summary
After the discovery of nanomaterials and the synthesis of new nanoparticles, interest in the analysis of their physical properties increased in order to identify as many applications as possible [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10].Carbon-based nanoparticles, such as nanotubes, graphene, fullerene, or nanotori were analyzed both from experimental [11,12,13,14,15,16] and theoretical points of view [17,18,19,20,21,22]. After the discovery of nanomaterials and the synthesis of new nanoparticles, interest in the analysis of their physical properties increased in order to identify as many applications as possible [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are the most studied due to their mechanical, electrical, optical, or magnetic properties that make them suitable for many applications in material science, nano-electronics, medicine, and other fields. Liquid crystals (LC) are a good dispersing medium for nanotubes because when dispersed in it, CNTs align their long axis parallel to the molecular director of the host [24,25], leading to complex but organized nanostructures. A more precise study of their physical properties can be realized without random orientation of the nanoparticles presented in powders or in isotropic liquid dispersions
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