Study of magnetorhelogic properties of liquid crystals doped with magnetic particles

• Grant number: 12/04949-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2012
• End date: August 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Reinaldo Cornejo
• Grantee: Fabiana Rodrigues Arantes
• Supervisor: Stefan Odenbach
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden), Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 10/01655-2 - Systems of magnetic nanoparticles: experimental studies and Monte Carlo simulations, BP.DR

Abstract

This project proposes to extensively study of magnetorhelogic properties of liquid crystals doped with magnetic particles. Sets of lyotropic liquid crystals doped with magnetic particles (ferrolyotropics), will be prepared. These sets will have different compositions of liquid crystal and different size of magnetic particles, ranging from nano to micrometer scale. The samples will be characterized magnetically employing traditional techniques such as magnetization and AC susceptibility measurements. The magnetic field dependent changes of the shear viscosity of the suspensions will be measured and will be compared with the behavior known from standard ferrofluids. The achieved results will be interpreted in the light of common interaction theories taking into account structure formation of the suspended magnetic material. (AU)