Photo-electrical response of nanocomposites from single-walled carbon nanotubes incorporated in tris(keto-hydrozone) discotic mesogen

We report an experimental study on photo-electrical response of new nanocomposites produced from discotic mesogen LTTH-6 (possessing columnar liquid-crystalline phase) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with diameter ∼ 1.5 nm. The SWCNTs were incorporated in LTTH-6 at concentration of 1 wt.%. Thin layers of SWCNTs/LTTH-6 nanocomposites were formed with a thickness of 3 μm. The light-induced change in electrical conductivity of these layers was ascertained at room temperature by current-voltage measurements, upon illumination with a low-intensity (∼ 1 mW/cm 2 ) continuous visible light. The effect of photoresponsivity of the glassy-like columnar phase of SWCNTs/LTTH-6 manifests the potential of such nanocomposites to be functional materials for applications in molecular electronics, sensorics and mechatronics.