Polymer Engineering Faculty Research

Title

Effect of carbon nanotube on phase transitions of nematic liquid crystals

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-31-2005

Abstract

Phase diagrams of multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT)/nematic liquid crystal (E7) and bucky ball (C60)/nematic liquid crystal binary systems were investigated by means of optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that the isotropic-nematic phase transition temperature of liquid crystal component is enhanced by MWNT. A chimney type phase diagram occur over a narrow range of 0.1-0.2ball/E7 system did not showed any changes of TNI in the same concentration range. This behavior has been attributed to anisotropic alignment of carbon nanotubes and liquid crystal molecules, which is entropic in origin.

Publication Title

Liquid Crystals

Volume

32

Issue

7

First Page

815

Last Page

821

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