Magnetodielectric and magnetoviscosity response of a ferromagnetic liquid crystal at low magnetic fields

We report on experimental studies of the viscoelastic, magnetodielectric, and magnetoviscosity properties of ferromagnetic liquid crystals (LCs) prepared by dispersing ferromagnetic nanoparticles in a thermotropic LC. Both the splay elastic constant and rotational viscosity of the ferronematic LCs are found to be considerably lower than that of the pure LC and advantageous to the device applications. The ferromagnetic LCs show unique magnetodielectric and magnetoviscosity response at very low magnetic fields that are useful for smart fluid applications. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.