Enhanced negative dielectric anisotropy and high electrical conductivity of the SWCNT doped nematic liquid crystalline material

We report a significant improvement in the dielectric anisotropy of single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) doped p-ethoxybenzylidene p-butylaniline (EBBA) nematic liquid crystal (NLC). The modification in the physical parameters of the doped system has shown strong dependence on the concentration of SWCNTs. The highlights of the tremendous effect of CNTs on the physical properties of the host nematic system are the high splay elastic constant and rotational viscosity. The presence of SWCNTs in the host system leads to the changes in the conductive nature of the host material. The behavior of the conductivity was found to be considerably dependent on the orientation of the CNTs with respect to the applied probing field. Enhanced dielectric anisotropy and conductivity of the doped system show its utility in the improvement of variety of liquid crystal devices.