Nanoobjects – Containing Structures for Aerospace and Laser Switching Systems
Natalia V. Kamanina, K.Yu. Bogdanov, Petr Ya. Vasilyev, Vladislav I. Studeonov, Alexander E. Pujsha, Alexandra V. Shmidt, Anatoly V. Krestinin and Francois Kajzar
The paper presents new results in two directions. The first one is regarding the improvement of inorganic materials (MgF2, LiF and some oxides based on In and Sn, etc) by a treatment with carbon nanotubes. It has been established that surface mechanical hardness and laser damage strength of these new nanocomposites can be increased 5–10 times under the conditions of the keeping of the spectral range of matrix. The second direction of these studies is connected with high speed switching of the liquid crystal mesophase doped with fullerene-containing charge-transfer complexes. The effect of liquid crystal dipoles reorientation in microsecond range has been shown in TN and IPS constructions of the electro-optical liquid crystal cells. Some mechanisms of surface hardness improvement and speed switching process initiated with nanoobjects are postulated. The data presented in the current study testify that these nano-objects-containing materials could be used as new transparent aerospace elements and new laser window for the UV and IR spectral range, as well as new optical high-speed switches and spatial light modulators for a broad spectral range.
Keywords: Fullerenes, nanotubes, organics, liquid crystal, inorganic materials, fluorides, laser-matter interaction, switching, laser strength and mechanical hardness.