31 December 2009Self-organized composites of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and nematic liquid crystal 5CB: optical singularities and percolation behavior in electrical conductivity
V. V Ponevchinsky Institute of Physics (Ukraine) A. I. Goncharuk Institute for Biocolloidal Chemistry (Ukraine) V. I. Vasil'ev Institute of Physics (Ukraine) N. I. Lebovka Institute for Biocolloidal Chemistry (Ukraine) M. S. Soskin Institute of Physics (Ukraine)
This work discusses optical singularities and electrical conductivity behavior in a thin electrooptical cell filled with
composites including multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and nematic liquid crystal (LC). The MWCNTs with
high aspect ratio L/d≈300 ÷ 1000 and nematic LC 5CB (4-pentyl-40-cyanobiphenyl) were used. The composites were
prepared by introduction of MWCNTs (0.0001÷0.1% wt) into LC solvent with subsequent sonication. The increase of
MWCNT concentration (between 0.005÷0.05 % wt) resulted in self-organization of MWCNTs and formation of micronsized
aggregates with fractal boundaries. The visually observed formation of spanning MWCNT networks near the
percolation threshold at ~0.025 % wt was accompanied with transition from non-conductive to conductive state and
generation of optical singularities. The observed effects were explained by the strong interactions between MWCNTs
and LC medium and planar orientation of 5CB molecules near the lateral surface of MWCNTs. It was speculated that
optical singularities arose as a results of interaction of an incident laser beam with LC perturbed interfacial shells
covering the MWCNT clusters. Behavior of the interfacial shell thickness in external electric field and in the vicinity of
the nematic to isotropic transition was discussed.
V. V Ponevchinsky,
A. I. Goncharuk,
V. I. Vasil'ev,
N. I. Lebovka,
M. S. Soskin,
"Self-organized composites of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and nematic liquid crystal 5CB: optical singularities and percolation behavior in electrical conductivity", Proc. SPIE 7388, Ninth International Conference on Correlation Optics, 738802 (31 December 2009); doi: 10.1117/12.853075; https://doi.org/10.1117/12.853075
V. V Ponevchinsky, A. I. Goncharuk, V. I. Vasil'ev, N. I. Lebovka, M. S. Soskin, "Self-organized composites of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and nematic liquid crystal 5CB: optical singularities and percolation behavior in electrical conductivity," Proc. SPIE 7388, Ninth International Conference on Correlation Optics, 738802 (31 December 2009);