PHOTO-THERMAL EFFECT BY DISCOTIC LIQUID CRYSTALS DOPED WITH SINGLE-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES

We studied the photo-thermal effect in liquid-crystalline nanocomposites (NCs) of tris(keto-hydrozone) discotic liquid crystals (DLC) doped with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) at concentration 1 wt.%. The mean size of SWCNTs was 1.5 nm. Thin films with a thickness of 3 pm formed from the NCs were illuminated with a low-intensity (similar to 1 mW/cm(2)) continuous light. The light-induced thermo-effect in the SWCNTs/DLC NC films was correlated with the change in their electrical conductivity, as determined by complex electrical impedance spectroscopy. The observed effect is potentially interesting for photo-control of the liquid-crystalline state of DLC-based NC materials doped with SWCNTs, in order to achieve their enhanced functionality.