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A magnetically steered electric switch based on nematic liquid crystal-single-wall carbon nanotube dispersions is demonstrated. The device exploits the conductivity anisotropy of nanotubes in combination with the magnetic Freedericksz transition of a nematic liquid crystal. The performance is characterized with respect to the electric measuring field amplitude, frequency and sample cell gap. The dynamic behavior indicates a response time of approximately 4 s⁠, and possible applications for magnetic field sensors are discussed.

Liquid crystals (LCs)(Ref. 1) are spontaneously self-organized anisotropic fluids. They combine fluidity with the anisotropy of physical parameters and the elasticity observed for solids. The simplest of the LC phases is the nematic, which exhibits solely orientational order of the long molecular axes along a preferred direction called the director. LC displays (LCDs) based on nematics are by …