Minenko S. Preparation conditions, characterization methods and stability of composite materials based on liquid crystals and carbon nanotubes.

The work is aimed at creation of composite materials with high time stability on the basis of liquid crystals and carbon nanotubes, as well as development of characterization methods for such materials to be used during optimization of their preparation technology. Composite materials have been obtained by dispersion of carbon nanotubes in liquid crystals. Conditions have been determined that ensure high time stability, suppressing aggregate formation at nanotube concentrations 0.01-0.1%, and a method for preparation of such materials has been proposed and realized, with preliminary dispersing of montmorillonite introduced into the liquid crystal in quantity of 10-30% with respect to the nanotube content. A method has been proposed and realized for monitoring of nanotube aggregation processes in such materials on the real time scale. The method is based on the analysis of the optical transmittance jump at the nematic-isotropic transition, which characterizes the degree of incorporation of anisometric nanoparticles into the liquid crystal matrix. The developed methods of preparation and characterization of composite materials have been substantiated by the obtained results of microscopic, calorimetric and electrophysical studies.