RESUMEN
The influence of magnetic field on the isotropic-to-nematic phase transition temperature is investigated in neat bent-core and calamitic liquid crystals, in their mixture, and in samples doped with spherical magnetic nanoparticles for two different orientations of the magnetic field. A magnetic-field-induced negative or positive shift of the transition temperature was detected depending on the magnetic field orientation with respect to the initial orientation of the nematic phase, and on the type of liquid crystal matrix.
RESUMEN
In the quest of YBa2Cu3O(7-δ) (Y123) bulk superconductors providing strong magnetic fields without failure, it is of paramount importance to achieve high thermal stabilities to safeguard the magnetic energy inside them during the trapping-field process, and sufficient mechanical reliability to withstand the stresses derived from the Lorenz force. Herein, we experimentally demonstrate a temperature rise induced by dissipative flux motion inside an Y123 thin-wall superconductor, and a significant thermal exchange in a composite bulk Y123 cryomagnet realized by embedding this superconductor with high thermal-conductivity metal network. It resulted in stimulating the maximum trapped field Bm, which reached 6.46 T on 15.9 mm-diameter single disk superconductor after magnetization by field cooling to 17 K under 7 T, leading to an improvement of 18% compared to the thin-wall superconductor. The composite cryomagnet particularly revealed the potential to trap stronger fields if larger magnetic activation is available. By virtue of the pore-free and crack-free microstructure of this cryomagnet, its strength σR was estimated to be 363 MPa, the largest one obtained so far for Y123 bulk superconductors, thus suggesting a striking mechanical reliability that seems to be sufficient to sustain stresses derived from trapped fields stronger than any values hitherto reported.
RESUMEN
The response in capacitance to low external magnetic fields (up to 0.1 T) of suspensions of spherical magnetic nanoparticles, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), SWCNT functionalized with carboxyl group (SWCNT-COOH), and SWCNT functionalized with Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles in a nematic liquid crystal has been studied experimentally. The volume concentration of nanoparticles was φ(1)=10(-4) and φ(2)=10(-3). Independent of the type and the volume concentration of the nanoparticles, a linear response to low magnetic fields (far below the magnetic Fréederiksz transition threshold) has been observed, which is not present in the undoped nematic.
