Articles tagged with Liquid Crystals
Scientists have designed a 4D-printed soft robot with unique properties, enabling it to roll uphill, navigate uneven terrain, and carry heavy loads. The robot's ability to adapt to its environment was a surprise discovery for the researchers, who hope to unlock new applications in confined spaces.
Researchers designed a tubular phononic crystal to sense biochemical and physical properties of liquids. The device demonstrates sensitivity to liquid density and speed of sound, making it suitable for sensing applications.
Researchers have developed a way to precisely control defects within active liquid crystals by changing the gradient of activity around them. This can be achieved through pulses of light or chemical composition changes, enabling controlled movement and behavior of these materials.
The study reveals that microswimmers propel themselves through nematic liquid crystals with non-random trajectories to minimize elastic energy. The speed of a microswimmer varies depending on whether it pushes or pulls the surrounding fluid, and becomes slower when pushing with a stronger force.
Researchers designed a cascaded LC flat optical element to achieve steering angle magnification independent of incident beam position. The system consists of two flat optical elements with phase profiles, achieving nearly diffraction-limited performance through ray-tracing simulations.
Researchers from Cornell University and Samsung create a first-of-its-kind metalens that can focus light using voltage instead of mechanically moving its components. The innovation allows for an ultrathin, electrically tunable lens with continuous zoom capabilities.
The study reveals that thick and rough solid-liquid interfaces facilitate rapid crystal growth by breaking up disorder. Disordered states are inherently unstable mechanically, leading to a domino-like chain reaction of crystal growth.
Researchers from St. Petersburg State University and international partners successfully condense liquid light in a semiconductor material, paving the way for new lasers capable of producing qubits. This breakthrough could lead to the development of quantum transistors and significant advancements in computing.
Researchers at Skoltech have proposed a photonic device using liquid crystals in optical resonators to study their optical properties. The device can simulate electronic devices using photons, potentially increasing processing speed and reducing energy consumption.
Scientists at the University of Chicago have developed liquid crystals that can move on their own, enabling the creation of autonomous materials. By controlling the movement of defects within the crystals, researchers have demonstrated a microfluidic device that can transport fluids autonomously without pumps or pressure.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have designed liquid crystals with complex symmetry structures, similar to those found in minerals and gems. The breakthrough could lead to new types of smart windows and displays with enhanced energy efficiency.
Researchers at RUDN University have synthesized and described new dibenzophenazine-based discotic liquid crystals with promising properties for industrial electronics. The crystals can withstand temperatures up to 330? and show potential in organic optoelectronic devices and solar panels.
Scientists created a method for calculating optimal parameters of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) to enhance viewing angles without compromising image quality. The new technology uses diffraction optical elements with specific surface microreliefs to expand the angle of view, allowing for better color rendition and high resolution.
Scientists have experimentally confirmed the presence of an intermediate hexatic phase in a monolayer dusty plasma system, resolving a long-standing question in theoretical physics. The research uses an unconventional approach to form a monolayer dusty system and precisely controls temperature to identify the phase transition points.
A team of researchers has successfully developed sulfur-containing liquid crystal molecules with oppositely directed ester bonds, exhibiting a twist-bend nematic phase over a wide temperature range. The study reveals that the ester bond direction significantly impacts the helical pitch lengths in the phase.
Researchers have successfully visualized how carbon dioxide behaves in an ionic liquid that selectively absorbs CO2. The findings are expected to help develop more efficient methods to capture CO2, a major factor causing global warming.
Researchers at Princeton University discovered how forest-dwelling bacteria cooperate to build fruiting bodies when food is scarce, using the physics behind fingerprint patterns and topological defects. The study reveals new insights into the physics-biology intersection and highlights the value of interdisciplinary collaboration.
Researchers designed nanocrystal structures using platinum compounds to effectively encapsulate and transport hydrophobic drugs. The study achieved high encapsulation efficiency of up to 79% and shows potential for biomedicine applications.
New research reveals that simple DNA-peptide interactions can generate a surprising diversity of compartmentalised higher-ordered phase behaviours, suggesting these polymers' primordial interactions may have helped create modern complex biological structures. The study found that changes in environmental conditions, such as salinity or...
Materials scientists at UC San Diego create a 3D-printing method that allows for the creation of shapes with varying degrees of stiffness and actuation. The breakthrough enables the manufacture of soft robots, artificial muscles, and wearable devices with improved properties.
Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology and University Paris-Saclay found a five-phase equilibrium in mixtures, breaking the Gibbs phase rule. The discovery provides useful insights for industries working with complex mixtures.
Scientists have discovered a way to control the pitch of biopolymers, leading to the creation of structural colors in liquid marbles. The colors change in response to environmental factors such as heat, pressure, or chemicals, making this technology promising for bio-based sensors and soft photonic elements.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed a new class of metalenses that can be reconfigured using liquid crystals, allowing for the creation of flexible and tunable lenses. This innovation holds promise for revolutionizing optics and enabling new scientific and technological endeavors.
Researchers at KIST and KAIST developed a technology to fabricate liquid crystals with multiple layers, which can exhibit diverse optical characteristics. This new material may potentially replace color shifting ink in preventing forgery of bank notes and ID cards.
Researchers at Stockholm University have found that water can align its molecules like a liquid crystal when exposed to laser light. The alignment lasts only for a fraction of a second and is confirmed by both experimental studies and molecular simulations.
Researchers at the University of Chicago have developed a way to stretch and strain liquid crystals to generate different colors, leading to a wide range of optical effects. This technology has potential applications in temperature and strain sensors, enabling remote measurement without contact.
Researchers developed a liquid crystal integrated metalens that can achieve both achromatic and chromatic focusing with a single device. The design overcomes the challenge of chromatic aberration, allowing for improved resolution in full-color and hyperspectral imaging.
Researchers have discovered a new liquid phase of matter, the ferroelectric nematic, which exhibits strong polar ordering and can be controlled by electric fields. This discovery opens up new possibilities for technological innovations, including advanced display screens and reimagined computer memory.
Researchers at the University of Halle have found a way to spontaneously generate molecules with uniform chirality in liquids, liquid-crystalline and crystalline materials. This breakthrough could lead to new active substances and materials science applications.
Researchers found that the transport of electronic charge in strontium ruthenate breaks rotational symmetry, exhibiting 'electronic nematicity' similar to liquid crystals. This phenomenon may explain the material's unconventional superconductivity and could lead to the design of efficient superconductors.
Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory use pressure to create a magnetic liquid, potentially leading to breakthroughs in high-temperature superconductivity and quantum computing. The discovery involves slowly squeezing two small diamonds together with a magnetic material between them, resulting in the emergence of a spin liquid state.
Scientists at Saarland University study atomic rearrangements in a gold alloy as it cools, revealing a fundamental new finding that challenges conventional wisdom. The researchers found that the freezing process is decoupled from the alpha-relaxation rate, leading to improved understanding of amorphous metals and glass-forming materials.
Scientists at the Niels Bohr Institute have successfully controlled bacterial jets to carry strings of microscopic cargos, opening up new possibilities for biological tools and medical applications. The novel approach utilizes a liquid crystal to dictate bacterial movement, suppressing instabilities and enabling precise cargo transport.
The study describes experiments using a three-dimensional active nematic, revealing dominant loop structures that emerge spontaneously and expand before self-annihilating. These loops differ from defects in two-dimensional systems, having no charge but still related to them.
Researchers created a 3D nematic system using bacteriophage virus particles and microtubules to study the motion of defects in real-time. They found excitations in 3D nematics were primarily disclination lines and loops that can nucleate, shrink, open and merge.
Researchers developed liquid crystalline gels capable of underwater photothermal actuation, inducing macroscopic shape changes that drove locomotion. The gels exhibited temperature-dependent bending and oscillation, allowing for various types of underwater movement, including crawling, walking, jumping, and swimming.
Scientists have successfully developed a rotary micromotor with a diameter of 5 millimeters that can rotate using laser power. The motor utilizes liquid crystal elastomers, which exhibit fast and reversible shape changes under visible light illumination.
A team of researchers at the University of Washington has developed AuraRing, a wearable device that can detect precise finger movements and track hand orientation. This technology enables new applications in gaming, healthcare, and more.
Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered a new class of material, 'non-sticky gels,' that forms when colloidal particles behave as liquid crystals. This breakthrough enables the development of gel formulations with improved mechanical properties and longer shelf-life, addressing a major limitation in many products.
Researchers found that hydrodynamic interactions do not explain the large discrepancy between experimental and simulated nucleation rates in hard-sphere colloids. Their simulations using a reliable model showed that neglecting these interactions led to similar nucleation rates as with hydrodynamic interactions.
Researchers found that spherical droplets of chain-like liquid crystal molecules transform into complex shapes upon cooling, exhibiting polydispersity-driven effects. The key to this phenomenon lies in the presence of both long-chain and short-chain rods within the drop.
Texas A&M University researchers discovered that applying a small temperature difference to zirconium phosphate particles initiates their liquid crystallization. The team found that varying temperatures can move liquid crystals by creating a temperature gradient, opening new doors for applications beyond common liquid crystal uses.
A study by the University of Saskatchewan has discovered that liquid crystal monomers from LCDs are present in nearly half of household dust samples, with 90% of these chemicals showing concerning properties. The findings raise concerns about the potential toxicity of these monomers to humans and the environment.
87 LCMs show potential for persistent and bioaccumulative properties, affecting gene expression in embryonic chicken cells. Several LCMs found in indoor dust samples, highlighting environmental concerns.
Scientists develop a method to teach synthetic plastic to walk and respond to light, learning new tricks based on past experiences. The thermoplastic, made from liquid crystal polymer networks and dye, can be controlled remotely and has potential biomedical applications.
Researchers at Aalto University trained a liquid crystal polymer to move and stick to objects of a given color using light-based conditioning. This breakthrough demonstrates the potential for materials to 'learn' and adapt to their environment.
Researchers have discovered a significant coupling between crystallization and liquid-liquid transition (LLT) in molecular liquids, leading to drastic enhancements of crystal formation. This finding has implications for understanding and controlling crystallization in various fields, including materials science and disease research.
Researchers have developed a portable, inexpensive, and easy-to-use microlens that simultaneously acquires 3D space and polarization information. This allows for the creation of 4D images with improved depth resolution, potentially enabling applications in medical imaging, communications, displays, and remote sensing.
Researchers developed a technique to reconfigure blue-phase liquid crystals into stable orthorhombic and tetragonal structures, leading to fast responses suitable for various display applications. The addition of a polymer stabilizes the crystals in a wide temperature range, speeding up switching responses.
McGill researchers use new instrument to study perovskites, a promising material for solar cells. The discovery reveals that these solids behave like liquids when it comes to electrons' response to light.
Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a way to create tiny schools of molecular 'fish' using liquid crystals. These deformations, which can twirl together as a group and interact with each other, could lead to new interactive display technologies.
Researchers at UC San Diego developed soft actuators that can be controlled electrically, making them compatible with small electronic devices and batteries. These actuators enabled the creation of compact, portable and multifunctional soft robots with various applications.
Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have synthesized novel liquid crystals that can conduct electrical energy along their length. The materials, dubbed 'power cables', possess an additional advantage: they self-heal if ruptured, eliminating the need for complex repairs.
Physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered a way to tie microscopic knots within liquid crystals, a type of material used in electronics. The researchers found that by applying voltage, they can expand or shrink the knots and even form complex shapes.
A new robot hand with a dynamic grip can adjust its stiffness to absorb shocks, keeping objects intact during collisions. This technology is valuable for industries like automotive and electronics packaging, enhancing worker safety and machine performance.
Researchers discovered a sensorimotor function integration mechanism in expert pianists that enables skillful fingering. This neuroplastic adaptation enhances speed and precision of finger movements, revealing new insights into the brain's role in motor control.
Kent State University's Oleg Lavrentovich receives $540,000 grant to study 'Active colloids with tunable interactions in liquid crystals.' He also receives a $450,000 NSF award for 'Electrically tunable cholesteric optical filters,' with potential applications in biomedical imaging and smart windows.
Researchers at Tokyo University of Science develop novel technique to grow single crystals of IGZO-11 semiconductor. The material exhibits high conductivity, transparency, and optical band gap, making it suitable for optoelectronic devices.
Researchers studied polydactyly, a condition where people are born with extra fingers or toes. They found that the brain allocates dedicated areas to the extra digits, making them as useful as standard digits. This discovery could provide a blueprint for developing artificial limbs and digits.
Physicists Pawel Pieranski and Maria Helena Godinho have found that the 'dowser texture' in nematic liquid crystals responds differently to electric fields in various materials. This phenomenon, known as electro-osmosis, enables detection of subtle electrical effects.