Enhancing the Properties of Liquid Crystal Polymers and Elastomers with Nano Magnetic Particles

Side-chain liquid crystal polymers have been mixed with ferromagnetic particles, and the formation of a monodomain in magnetic fields studied. At relatively low concentrations, the presence of ferroparticles substantially speeds up the rate of formation of a monodomain within the magnetic field, and, at a given concentration of ferroparticles, that rate is independent of the magnetic field’s strength. In this way, the rapid formation of a monodomain is possible at magnetic field strengths far lower those required for the liquid crystal polymer alone. This is anticipated to be very helpful in the fabrication of devices based on monodomain liquid crystal elastomers. Wide-angle x-ray scattering has been used to monitor the formation of the monodomain and small-angle x-ray scattering gives some indication of the ferroparticles’ behaviour. A model is developed to explain their behaviour. The alignment properties of the ferroparticles are related to their ability to form chains under the influence of very low magnetic fields; these chains are of relatively low stability and may become disrupted after long periods of time, high magnetic fields, or high concentrations. In general, the best results for alignment were at volume fractions below 1%, and under these conditions there is the potential for producing monodomain samples with improved properties; in particular, shape changes with temperature are significantly larger as a result of improved backbone orientation. Experiments involving monodomain formation and director realignment suggest that the presence of ferroparticles results in a modification of the mechanism for alignment development, driven by the organization of the polymer backbone, as a consequence of the constraints offered by the morphology of the chains of the ferroparticles.