Electrooptic and dielectric properties of ferroelectric liquid crystal/single walled carbon nanotubes dispersions confined in thin cells

Electrooptic and dielectric properties of ferroelectric liquid crystals/chiral carbon nanotubes dispersions were investigated. It was demonstrated that even a small amount of chiral single walled carbon nanotubes affects greatly the performance of ferroelectric liquid crystal cells. Particularly, the spontaneous polarization, the Goldstone mode dielectric strength and the rise time are decreased in doped cells. The experimental results are explained by two effects. First, the spontaneous polarization of the FLC is screened by the pi-pi electron system of the carbon nanotube. Secondly, pi electrons trap the ionic impurities which results in significant modification of the internal electric field inside the cells. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.