title: Room-Temperature, Strain-Tunable Orientation of Magnetization in a Hybrid Ferromagnetic Co Nanorod-Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Nanocomposite.
abstract: Hybrid nanocomposites based on magnetic nanoparticles dispersed in liquid crystalline elastomers are fascinating emerging materials. Their expected strong magneto-elastic coupling may open new applications as actuators, magnetic switches, and for reversible storage of magnetic information. We report here the synthesis of a novel hybrid ferromagnetic liquid crystalline elastomer. In this material, highly anisotropic Co nanorods are aligned through a cross-linking process performed in the presence of an external magnetic field. We obtain a highly anisotropic magnetic material which exhibits remarkable magneto-elastic coupling. The nanorod alignment can be switched at will at room temperature by weak mechanical stress, leading to a change of more than 50 % of the remnant magnetization ratio and of the coercive field.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Interactions Moleculaires et Reactivité Chimique et Photochimique, Université de Toulouse, CNRS UMR 5623, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France).
authors.forename: Ophélie
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Riou
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Interactions Moleculaires et Reactivité Chimique et Photochimique, Université de Toulouse, CNRS UMR 5623, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France). lonetti@chimie.ups-tlse.fr.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lonetti
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de Nano-Objets, Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, LPCNO, CNRS, 135 avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France).
authors.forename: Reasmey P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de Nano-Objets, Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, LPCNO, CNRS, 135 avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France).
authors.forename: Justine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harmel
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de Nano-Objets, Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, LPCNO, CNRS, 135 avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France).
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Soulantica
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, UMR 8502, Université Paris-Sud, Batiment 510, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France).
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Interactions Moleculaires et Reactivité Chimique et Photochimique, Université de Toulouse, CNRS UMR 5623, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France).
authors.forename: Anne-Françoise
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Mingotaud
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de Nano-Objets, Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, LPCNO, CNRS, 135 avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France).
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Respaud
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de Nano-Objets, Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, LPCNO, CNRS, 135 avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France).
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chaudret
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Interactions Moleculaires et Reactivité Chimique et Photochimique, Université de Toulouse, CNRS UMR 5623, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France).
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mauzac
keywords: cobalt nanorods; elastomers; hybrid materials; magnetic actuators; magnetization