Articles tagged with Liquid Crystals
A study found that people with polydactyly, having six fingers per hand, exhibit improved motor skills and ability to perform movements with one hand. The researchers discovered dedicated brain areas controlling the extra finger's movement, allowing for versatile manipulation.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have successfully created colloidal particles that mimic atomic behavior, allowing for controlled interactions and assembly. By exposing these particles to different light sources, they can switch between attractive and repulsive forces.
A physics professor at Case Western Reserve University has developed a theory that explains how basic ordered patterns emerge in music using statistical mechanics. The theory reveals that the same principles guiding physical systems also govern musical harmony, shedding new light on the fundamental structure of music.
Timothy J. Bunning received the 2019 MRS Communications Lecture for his work on gold nanoparticles and liquid crystal arrays, which demonstrates plasmonic and photo-thermal conversion capabilities.
Researchers estimate the amount of negative pressure in liquid crystals confined in nanopores using a new method. The results show that increasing pressure slows down molecular mobility, while narrower channels increase it.
Researchers at the University of Luxembourg have discovered a method to create an anti-ordered state in liquid crystals, which can exhibit unique properties such as shape-changing behavior. This breakthrough enables the development of novel materials with potential applications in soft robotics and artificial muscles.
Researchers at Kazan University have discovered that amorphous materials exhibit outstanding physical and mechanical properties, including strength, electric conductivity, and corrosion resistance. The study found that these materials can crystallize into a monocrystal or polycrystalline structure under different temperature conditions.
Researchers have discovered a new method to grow large graphene single crystals with a growth rate of up to 79 μm s-1 on liquid Cu, exceeding that on solid Cu. This is made possible by the unique properties of liquid metal, which accelerates nucleation and promotes fast growth.
Researchers developed liquid crystal technology that can block a wide range of laser wavelengths, including red, blue, and green. The system uses a voltage-controlled phase change to scatter light and block laser beams.
Researchers at Osaka University have developed a novel flexible tube display that utilizes liquid droplets to create interactive surfaces. The system can take various surface shapes and provides information through streaming colored fluids, allowing for intuitive finger manipulation. This innovative technology has the potential to revo...
Researchers at Kent State University's Advanced Materials Institute have received an NSF grant to develop liquid crystal-nanoparticle sensors that can detect toxic gases and vapors without power. The sensors, which can be made any shape or size, offer parts-per-million level sensitivity and may help protect firefighters and other first...
Researchers create a rubbery, shape-shifting material that can morph into complex shapes at room temperature and change back when heated. The material shows promise for soft robots and biomedical applications requiring pre-programmed shapes at body temperature.
The research team measured the Casimir torque's effect on liquid crystals, proving its significance in twisting them. The findings could lead to new nanoscale devices, such as actuators or motors, and help researchers understand nanoscale part motions powered by the Casimir effect.
Researchers have found that spiral surface patterns on liquid crystal sacs facilitate the delivery of molecules to specific locations within the body. The unique structure of these sacs, with its faceted tetrahedron shape and defects at four vertices, allows for controlled release of substances, enabling potential biomedical applications.
The COSINE-100 experiment has reported no excess of signal in its data, putting DAMA's annual modulation signal at odds with other experiments. The researchers will need several years of data to fully confirm or refute the claim.
The COSINE-100 experiment has released its first results, confirming the absence of a dark matter signal in the data. The study challenges the DAMA claim as a WIMP signal, significantly challenging the traditional Standard Halo Model for dark matter.
Researchers have discovered a new non-porous material with unique 'auxetic' stretching properties, allowing it to thicken when stretched. This discovery has significant benefits for the development of products with wide range applications, including body armour, architecture and medical equipment.
Scientists have created microscopic three-dimensional polymer shapes that can be programmed to move in any direction in response to multiple types of stimuli. These microstructures could lead to the creation of more efficient solar panels that turn to follow the sun.
A new understanding of a phase-change material has been discovered, allowing for one thousand times faster data access and durability. The material can change state on a nanoscale, enabling high-speed non-volatile storage.
Scientists at KIT have developed a simple and cost-effective method to create customized polymer nanofibers through vapor deposition of liquid crystal layers with reactive molecules. This process enables the creation of complex structures with tailored properties for various applications, including biological detectors and coatings.
Engineers at the University of Michigan developed a method to make arrays of nanofibers that can be sticky, repellant, insulating or light emitting. The discovery uses liquid crystals to guide the growth of curved fibers with well-defined lengths and diameters.
Researchers applied polydopamine as an infiltrate binder to achieve high mechanical and electrical properties in graphene-based liquid crystalline fibers. The bio-inspired defect engineering overcomes the limitations of conventional graphene fibers, making it suitable for flexible electronics, textiles, and wearable sensors.
Researchers found that short RNA molecules can form liquid crystals, encouraging growth into longer chains. The discovery suggests an 'RNA world' where liquid crystals guided the assembly of primordial biomolecules.
The material has unique properties that could be used to guide autonomous vehicles or instruct robots in factories. Liquid crystal shells can reflect light highly selectively and change structure when exposed to certain impacts, enabling passive sensors for pressure and temperature detection.
Chemists at Brown University have developed a method to detect the intermediate state in liquid crystals, where order starts to form in discrete patches. This breakthrough could provide insights into slow molecular motion in various natural phenomena, such as Alzheimer's disease and protein tangles.
Researchers discovered that supercharged polypeptide fluids can form ordered phases in response to physical forces, resembling fingerprint patterns. The persisted order was detected using polarized optical microscopy, opening possibilities for biometric fingerprint detection.
Researchers propose a new method for orienting liquid crystals, increasing viewing angles in LCD displays. The technique uses liquid-crystal polymers with varying side-chain lengths to control orientation.
Scientists have developed a paper-thin, flexible and durable liquid crystal display that can be updated rapidly like a newspaper. The new optically rewritable LCD design enables fast switching of images and text without power consumption.
Researchers have developed two new equations to correct the Kinchin-Pease equation's limitations, providing accurate predictions of radiation damage in materials. The new equations consider athermal recombination and replacements-per-atom, improving the usable lifetime of materials in nuclear reactors and other environments.
Researchers from Lomonosov Moscow State University and their international colleagues created a ferroelectric liquid crystal material that outperforms traditional LCDs in terms of speed, stability, and color accuracy. This breakthrough enables faster and more efficient displays with improved resolution and reduced energy consumption.
Research at The University of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science reveals that water and silica diverge when cooled due to differences in atomic arrangement. Water's strong orientational order leads to easy crystallization, whereas silica's weak ordering results in supercooling and glass formation.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University question long-held understanding of Earth's solid center formation, citing energy barriers and supercooling issues. The team proposes alternative solutions, including the possibility of a nucleation-enhancing solid metal affecting the core's crystallization process.
Scientists have discovered a way to create materials with new properties by inducing liquid crystals to form ordered rings in nanopores. This self-assembly process allows for the design of nanomaterials that can be controlled through temperature, enabling novel applications in organic semiconductors.
A new technique allows researchers to switch emission between long- and short-wavelength edges of photonic bandgap by applying a voltage of 20 V. This is achieved through modifying the dipole moment of cholesteric liquid crystals.
Physicists Alexei Tsvelik and Oleg Yevtushenko provide a theoretical roadmap for discovering a 'chiral spin liquid,' a magnetically ordered state without a global direction of magnetic moments. The material must be a layered metal with specific properties, including strong response to non-uniform magnetic fields.
Researchers at Toyohashi University of Technology have developed liquid crystalline molecules with alkylthio groups containing sulfur, exhibiting nematic liquid crystal phases at room temperature. These molecules show improved optical properties and potential applications in liquid crystal displays and other fields.
A new scanning wave photopolymerization technique allows for arbitrary alignment of liquid crystals with fine control over large areas without the need for strong dyes or additional processing steps. This method enables the creation of highly functional organic materials with arbitrary molecular alignment patterns on the nanoscale.
Researchers at Penn University have demonstrated the ability to control liquid crystal patterns, which could be useful in creating patchy colloids and microscopic particles with functionalized surfaces. The study was led by Lisa Tran and Randall Kamien and has potential applications in biosensing and energy harvesting.
Researchers use active nematic composed of flexible filaments with microscopic engines to study defects on toroidal droplets, confirming predictions about liquid crystals at equilibrium. They also find that constant motion of defects causes topological charge to become continuous.
A Japanese team has gained a deeper understanding of the electronic processes guiding liquid-to-glass transitions. By studying an organic metal material with 'frustrated' electrons, they revealed that rapid cooling can create glass-like states similar to conventional glasses.
Researchers found that adding nanoparticles to liquid crystals improves their mechanical performance by increasing their lubricating properties. The study used a formula to approximate mobility of dislocations and performed numerical simulations to understand how Cottrell clouds erode when dislocations move at high speed.
A new study reveals that amorphous ice, formed when water is cooled to low temperatures, exhibits a previously undetected internal pattern known as disordered hyperuniformity. This finding may help explain water's unique properties and challenge the definition of glass.
A team of researchers used machine learning to model the behavior of aluminum and uranium in different phases at various temperatures and pressures. The study improved upon previous results in terms of speed and accuracy, enabling further work with only promising materials.
Scientists at KAUST and Oxford University have created a method to produce centimeter-scale, highly pure perovskite crystals by exploiting surface tension. This technique enables the growth of large-area perovskites without being limited to specific metal cations.
The study reveals how arrangement of atoms creates forces that pull crystals together and align them. Researchers found that manipulating attraction through ion type, concentration, and temperature can control crystallization.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis used a new experimental setup to measure the atomic properties of liquid materials, resolving some long-standing debates about the glass transition. The team found that fragility is related to atomic interactions and structural changes during the transition.
Scientists at Eindhoven University of Technology developed a new material that can undulate and propel itself forward under the influence of light. The device, the size of a paperclip, is the world's first machine to convert light directly into walking using one fixed light source.
Research finds magma is more solid than liquid, with crystalline and mushy states existing simultaneously. The discovery could help predict volcano risks by identifying mobile magma.
Researchers at Brookhaven Lab create method to track dynamic molecular features in soft materials, enabling control of vibrational waves and flow of energy. The technique has potential applications in thermal and acoustic insulators, waste heat conversion, and light-mechanical motion.
Liquid crystal drops exhibit novel behavior characteristics during drying, forming different phases that affect fluid movement and solid deposition. The discovery sheds insight into controlling drying solutions for macromolecules in dyes and pharmaceutical formulations.
A team of researchers has discovered a new type of living material composed of liquid crystals and bacteria. The combination creates unusual optical, physical, and electrical properties, and the bacteria exhibit collective behavior when at high concentrations. Experiments show that oxygen removal stops the action of the living material.
Physicists at Caltech have detected a new state of matter, a three-dimensional quantum liquid crystal, which could play a role in ultrafast quantum computers. This discovery may lead to the creation of topological superconductors, addressing challenges in building quantum computers.
Scientists discover that physical arrangement of cells drives cell death and removal, with topological defects causing cells to realign and leading to extrusion. This finding provides new insights into tissue development and control of cell growth.
Liquid crystals used for food coloring may have uses beyond food dyes, exhibiting unexpected characteristics that can be harnessed for sensors and other applications. The material responds dramatically to temperature, concentration, and pattern changes.
Researchers discovered a way to transport biochemical substances using loop-shaped liquid crystal defects that form around twisted fibers, controlled by electric and magnetic fields. The defects can move alongside the fibers with translational motion when applied perpendicular to the fiber.
The team's breakthrough enables an innovative approach to data processing and switching using magnetized liquid crystals and steerable light beams. This technology could lead to tiny components that process huge amounts of data, as well as compact and fast optical switches, routers and modulators.
Researchers developed a new blue-phase liquid crystal that can enable televisions and computer screens to pack more pixels into the same space while reducing power consumption. The material can achieve a resolution density of up to 1500 pixels per inch, which triples the sharpness of today's TVs.
Scientists have made groundbreaking discoveries about the movement of supercool electrons on a liquid helium surface, shedding light on their behavior and potential applications in quantum computing. The research aims to create a scalable system with mobile qubits, paving the way for significant advancements in the field.
Scientists discover a new phenomenon of metastability in liquids, creating a metastable liquid directly by decompression below the melting point. The results could be important for developing new materials and understanding planetary interiors.
Researchers have figured out a way to study supercooled water in a deeply supercooled range, finding that liquid water can exist all the way down to subzero temperatures. They used a new technique to rapidly heat and cool nanoscale supercooled water films with a laser.