Nematic Anchoring on Carbon Nanotubes

A$^{ }$dilute suspension of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a nematic liquid$^{ }$crystal (LC) does not disturb the LC director. Due to$^{ }$a strong LC-CNT anchoring energy and structural symmetry matching, CNT$^{ }$long axis follows the director field, possessing enhanced dielectric anisotropy$^{ }$of the LC media. This strong anchoring energy stabilizes local \textit{pseudonematic} domains, resulting in nonzero dielectric anisotropy in the isotropic$^{ }$phase. These anisotropic domains respond to external electric fields and$^{ }$show intrinsic frequency response. The presence of these domains makes$^{ }$the isotropic phase electric field-responsive, giving rise to a large$^{ }$dielectric hysteresis effect.