The structural transitions in the thermotropic ferronematics

Abstract

The structural transitions in thermotropic ferronematic, i.e. nematic liquid crystal (8CB) doped with fine magnetic particles (d~10 nm), exposed to combined electric and magnetic fields, were studied within the Burylov and Raikher's theory. Using the found formulas for the threshold fields of studied transitions and their values obtained by the capacitance measurements, the anchoring energy W of liquid crystal molecules on the magnetic particles surfaces, as well as parameter ω, determining the type of anchoring, were calculated. The calculated values indicated the presence of soft, or some intermediate state between soft and rigid anchoring, in studied ferronematic. These results are in agreement with the Burylov and Raikher's theory of thermotropic ferronematics.