| The
LC MRC is a Single Interdisciplinary Research Group that unites
the fields of physics, chemistry, chemical engineering and electrical engineering
toward the creation, understanding, development and application of novel
chiral/polar liquid crystal (LC) materials. The Center conducts basic and
applied research on the phases, structures and electro-optics of liquid
crystals focusing on the roles of chirality and polarization in LC behavior,
and collaborates with the rapidly developing US ferroelectric display industry.
The Center is organized along three main themes: discovery of novel LC phases
and materials; study of LC-solid interfaces and its use to control molecular
orientation in LC devices; and development of polymer-liquid crystal composite
materials.
The LC MRC has developed into one of the principal centers of liquid
crystal study and expertise in the US, its research spanning the range
from cutting-edge, basic LC science to the development of materials and
devices with enhanced capabilities for electro-optic, nonlinear optic,
and other novel applications. The Center is a unique venue worldwide for
research on polar and/or chiral condensed phases, and for engaging the
exciting basic science and application opportunities that they offer.
By virtue of their attractive characteristics for electro-optic applications,
ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) are poised for wide commercial applications, and the LC MRC has
aggressively pursued its role as the principal US resource for FLC industrial
development, doing collaborative research with a variety of companies.
Although
the principal worldwide focus of LC research is on applications, liquid crystals
also present a variety of challenging problems and opportunities for advancing
the basic science of liquid crystals. Surely one of the most exciting
and challenging areas of condensed matter physics is understanding the
connection between molecular and macroscopic properties of organic materials.
LCs, by virtue of the undeniably intimate coupling of their distinctive
molecular architectures and macroscopic properties, are a fruitful testing
ground for studying this connection. For example, the polarization
in FLCs is one of the most direct and experimentally accessible probes of orientational
ordering in liquid crystals. Chiral LCs remain at the frontier of liquid crystal
science, surprising us with unexpected phases, structures, fluctuations,
interface behavior, and optical effects. We understand little of LC molecular-macroscopic
relations, making the directed design of LCs more of an art than a science.
LCs offer unique opportunities for improving our understanding of condensed matter. The purpose of the LC MRC is to create a context in which these
problems can be effectively addressed. The LC MRC vertically integrates
LC chemical synthesis, materials evaluation and molecular modeling in
a coherent research program directed toward broadening our basic scientific
understanding of molecular ordering in liquid crystals and toward developing
new LCs for EO, NLO, and other novel applications.
Noel A. Clark (Principal
Investigator)
Professor
Department of Physics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
David M. Walba
(Co-Principal Investigator)
Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
Matthew A. Glaser
(Co-Principal Investigator)
Research Professor
Department of Physics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
Joseph E. Maclennan
(Co-Principal Investigator)
Research Professor
Department of Physics
University of Colorado
Boulder,CO 80309
Leo R. Radzihovsky
(Co-Principal Investigator)
Professor
Department of Physics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
Douglas L. Gin
(Senior Investigator)
Professor
Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
Daniel Schwartz (Senior Investigator)
Professor
Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
Richard K. Shoemaker (Senior Investigator)
Senior Research Associate
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
Ivan I. Smalyukh (Senior Investigator)
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
Thomas E. Furtak
(Senior Investigator)
Professor
Department of Physics
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO 80401
Tomasso Bellini (Senior Investigator - International)
Visiting Professor
Department of Physics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
Edgardo Garcia (Senior Investigator - International)
Visiting Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
Patrick Keller (Senior Investigator - International)
Visiting Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
|
