Communication

Aligning and Reorienting Carbon Nanotubes with Nematic Liquid Crystals†

  1. I. Dierking,
  2. G. Scalia2,
  3. P. Morales3,
  4. D. LeClere4

Article first published online: 30 APR 2004

DOI: 10.1002/adma.200306196

Issue

Advanced Materials

Advanced Materials

Volume 16, Issue 11, pages 865–869, June, 2004

Additional Information

How to Cite

Dierking, I., Scalia, G., Morales, P. and LeClere, D. (2004), Aligning and Reorienting Carbon Nanotubes with Nematic Liquid Crystals. Adv. Mater., 16: 865–869. doi: 10.1002/adma.200306196

Author Information

  1. 2

    Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'ambiente (ENEA), SS7 Appia, Km 713.7, I-72100 Brindisi, Italy

  2. 3

    Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'ambiente (ENEA), Via Anguillarese 301, I-00060 S. Maria di Galeria, Roma, Italy

  3. 4

    Materials Science Centre, University of Manchester and UMIST, Grosvenor St., Manchester M1 7HS, UK

  1. †

    The authors thank E. Campbell (Chalmers University, Göteborg, Sweden) for providing the multi-wall nanotubes and K. Tarumi (Merck, Darmstadt) for the liquid crystal E7. Financial support from the British Council, MIUR and CRUI is gratefully acknowledged.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 17 JUN 2004
  2. Article first published online: 30 APR 2004
  3. Manuscript Received: 18 SEP 2003

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

Get PDF (174K)

Keywords:

  • Alignment, induced;
  • Carbon nanotubes, multi-walled;
  • Carbon nanotubes, single-walled;
  • Liquid crystals, nematic

Exploiting the self-assembling properties of liquid crystals, large-scale spontaneous alignment of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes induced by elastic interactions with the nematic LC matrix is demonstrated (see Figure). Collective reorientation processes of the liquid crystal are further used to reversibly manipulate the alignment direction of the dispersed nanotubes, as evidenced by conductivity measurements.

Get PDF (174K)