Abstract
In the present article, the characteristics of the polyaniline (PANI)-fullerene-nematic liquid crystal (NLC) have been studied. It has been noticed that dealing with nanostructured medium based on fullerene-doped PANI sufficiently accelerates transitional processes in a dispersed LC structure, causing the mesophase reorientation in shorter times.
A quasi-transition from the nematic phase to the smectic one has been observed. The registered switching times of the fullerene-containing NLC-systems are in the range of tens of microseconds, which is not peculiar to the substance in the nematic phase, and have been observed earlier in the smectic phase only. In addition, the nonlinear absorption of laser radiation has been established at a wavelength of 805 nm in the systems studied. These structures could be applied in human eye and optical device protecting systems.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Dr. V. I. Studeonov, Dr. Yu. E. Usanov, (Vavilov State Optical Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia), Dr Yu. M. Voronin, and Dr. S. E. Putilin (State Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics, St.-Petersburg, Russia), Dr. A. K. Filippov (<<Plasmas>> Firm, St.-Petersburg, Russia), Dr. I. Yu. Sapurina (Institute of Macromolecular Compounds, Russia; for their help in this study. This work was supported by Russian National Technology Basis Program (Project <<Limiter>>) and RFBR grant No. 04-03-32249.