We demonstrate, for the first time, the large electromechanical response in
nematic liquid crystalline elastomers filled with a very low (~0.01%)
concentration of carbon nanotubes, aligned along the nematic director at
preparation. The nanotubes create a very large effective dielectric anisotropy
of the composite. Their local field-induced torque is transmitted to the
rubber-elastic network and is registered as the exerted uniaxial stress of
order ~1kPa in response to a constant field of order ~1MV/m. We investigate the
dependence of the effect on field strength, nanotube concentration and
reproducibility under multiple field-on and -off cycles. The results indicate
the potential of the nanotube-nematic elastomer composites as electrically
driven actuators
