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This book highlights the fabrication of orientation-controlled colloidal quantum well (nanoplatelet) thin films using liquid interface self-assembly. The book details methods for orientation-controlled deposition of CdSe core nanoplatelets for characterization of directional energy transfer in nanoplatelets and layer-by-layer construction of CdSe/CdZnS core/shell nanoplatelets to create optically active waveguides with precisely tunable thickness and excellent uniformity across device scale. It also provides a future outlook for construction of large-scale two- and three-dimensional nanoplatelet superstructures and their incorporation into device fabrication.

This book on liquid crystals reports on the new perspectives that have been brought about by the recent expansion of frontiers and overhaul of common beliefs.First, it explores the interaction of light with mesophases, when the light or matter is endowed with topological defects. It goes on to show how electrophoresis, electro-osmosis and the swimming of flagellated bacteria are affected by the anisotropic properties of liquid crystals.It also reports on the recent progress in the understanding of thermomechanical and thermohydrodynamical effects in cholesterics and deformed nematics and refutes the common belief that these effects could explain Lehmann's observations of the rotation of cholesteric droplets subjected to a temperature gradient. It then studies the physics of the dowser texture, which has remarkable properties. This is of particular interest in regards to nematic monopoles, which can easily be generated, set into motion and collided within it.Finally, this book deals with the spontaneous emergence of chirality in nematics made of achiral molecules, and provides a brief historical context of chirality

'The overall book content is excellently coordinated to form a synchronised story, interesting to a broad scientific audience … The book summarises the present knowledge in the field, introduces fundamental concepts to the beginners, describes key measuring methods and presents several different typical demonstrative systems, some of them exhibiting an extraordinary rich spectrum of structures and superstructures. I am sure that with time the book will become an attractor to a broad audience (physicists, chemists, material scientists, engineers, etc.), ranging from students, beginners in the field to experienced researchers. To summarise, this is the book that I have been missing on my bookshelf.'Liquid Crystals TodayWhile liquid crystals are today widely known for their successful application in flat panel displays (LCDs), academic liquid crystal research is more and more targeting situations where these anisotropic fluids are put to completely different use, in varying contexts. A particularly strong focus is on colloidal liquid crystals, where particles, bubbles or drops are dispersed in a liquid crystal phase. The liquid crystal can act as a host phase, with the inclusions constituting foreign guests that disturb the local order in interesting ways, often resulting in large-scale positional arrangement and/or uniform alignment of the guests. But it may also be formed by solid particles themselves, if these are of nanoscale dimensions and of disc- or rod-shape, and if they are suspended in an isotropic liquid host at sufficient concentration.This book aims to cover both the modern research tracks, gathering pioneering researchers of the different subfields to give a concise overview of the basis as well as the prospects of their respective specialties. The scope spans from curiosity-driven fundamental scientific research to applied sciences. Over the course of the next decade, the former is likely to generate new tracks of the latter type, considering the exploratory and productive phase of this young research field.

Liquid crystals have become ubiquitous in the displays for electronic devices, ranging from wrist watches to laptop computers. Nuclear magnetic resonance is one of the important mechanisms for determining their structures tures and properties. This book covers NMR techniques used in studying liquid crystals and present up to date results from such studies. Ronald Dong has worked on NMR in liquid crystals for much of his professional career. Topics covered include: Nuclear spin dynamics, orientational order, molecular field theories of liquid-crystal molecules, nuclear spin relaxation, spin relaxation, rotational and translational dynamics, internal dynamics of liquid-crystal molecules, NMR in liquid crystals; an appendix covers rotations, Euler angles and Wigner rotation matrices.

The existence of liquid crystals has been known for nearly a centu­ ry; yet it is only in the last ten years that their unique optical, electri­ cal, electro-optic, and thermal properties have been exploited to any significant extent in such technological applications as digital d~­ plays and thermography. Digital watches equipped with liquid-crys­ tal displays (LCD's) have recently made their debut in the electronic watch market, and the large-scale use of LCD's in a variety of other applications requiring reliable, low-power digital displays is immi­ nent. There is good reason to believe that liquid crystals will be the first electro-optic materials to find widespread commercial use. Apart from applications, liquid crystals are unique among the phases of matter. Lurking beneath their garish display of color and texture is a great complexity of physical and chemical interaction that is only now beginning to unfold in the face of a decade-old resurgence in all aspects of liquid~rystal research. RCA Laboratories has participated in this resurgence from its beginning in the early 1960's and at present maintains active liquid-crystal programs both in basic re­ search and in device engineering. In view of the widespread interest in liquid crystals at RCA Labo­ ratories, an in-house weekly seminar devoted to the subject of liquid crystals was organized in the fall of 1973. The resulting lectures were subsequently published in three issues of the RCA Review and, with the incorporation of much additional material, eventually grew into the present volume.

This book by Lev M. Blinov is ideal to guide researchers from their very first encounter with liquid crystals to the level where they can perform independent experiments on liquid crystals with a thorough understanding of their behaviour also in relation to the theoretical framework. Liquid crystals can be found everywhere around us. They are used in virtually every display device, whether it is for domestic appliances of for specialized technological instruments. Their finely tunable optical properties make them suitable also for thermo-sensing and laser technologies. There are many monographs written by prominent scholars on the subject of liquid crystals. The majority of them presents the subject in great depth, sometimes focusing on a particular research aspect, and in general they require a significant level of prior knowledge. In contrast, this books aims at an audience of advanced undergraduate and graduate students in physics, chemistry and materials science. The book consists of three parts: the first part, on structure, starts from the fundamental principles underlying the structure of liquid crystals, their rich phase behaviour and the methods used to study them; the second part, on physical properties, emphasizes the influence of anisotropy on all aspects of liquid crystals behaviour; the third, focuses on electro-optics, the most important properties from the applications standpoint. This part covers only the main effects and illustrates the underlying principles in greater detail. Professor Lev M. Blinov has had a long carrier as an experimentalist. He made major contributions in the field of ferroelectric mesophases. In 1985 he received the USSR state prize for investigations of electro-optical effects in liquid crystals for spatial light modulators. In 1999 he was awarded the Frederiks medal of the Soviet Liquid Crystal Society and in 2000 he was honoured with the G. Gray silver medal of the British Liquid Crystal Society. He has held many visiting academic positions in universities and laboratories across Europe and in Japan.

The confluence of the fields of liquid crystals and biomedical engineering is resulting in remarkable interdisciplinary research. This book focuses on the potential for inherently translational research in one field of engineering to radically alter the scope of another. The text reviews the exciting advances being made in displays, spectroscopy, sensors and diagnostics, biomimicking, actuators and lasers with regards to liquid crystalline materials, and biomedicine. The liquid crystal field — which has delivered revolutionary devices in the display, optics, and telecommunications industries — is now poised to make significant inroads into biology, medicine, and biomedical engineering.

Polarized Light in Liquid Crystals and Polymers deals with the linear optics of birefringent materials, such as liquid crystals and polymers, and surveys light propagation in such media with special attention to applications. It is unique in treating light propagation in micro- and nanostructured birefringent optical elements, such as lenses and gratings composed of birefringent materials, as well as the spatial varying anisotropic structures often found in miniaturized liquid crystal devices.

In recent years, there has been increasing activity in the research and design of optical systems based on liquid crystal (LC) science. Bringing together contributions from leading figures in industry and academia, Optical Applications of Liquid Crystals covers the range of existing applications as well as those in development. Unique in its thorou