Propagating Wave by Coherent Motion of Inorganic Nanosheets

Abstract

Recently, we have developed various kinds of anisotropic soft materials by using an aqueous dispersion of titanate nanosheets with the liquid crystalline property. During the course of our studies, we found that the nanosheets, dispersed in water, become to form a monodomain lamellar structure by the application of a strong magnetic field. Here, we report that such a monodomain structure generates a unidirectionally propagating wave upon a chemical perturbation. The characterization of wave structure, elucidation of its formation mechanism, and its application will be discussed.