Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Seungmin Nam, Dahee Wang, Gyubin Lee, Su Seok Choi
Summary: This study reports the first observation of electrically stretchable elastomeric mesogenic chiral photonic gels (CPGs) and investigates their electro-mechano-optical behaviors. The results show that the wavelength tuning of CPGs is stable and reliable, with repeated wavelength transitions up to 100 times.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Meixiang Wang, Pengyao Zhang, Mohammad Shamsi, Jacob L. Thelen, Wen Qian, Vi Khanh Truong, Jinwoo Ma, Jian Hu, Michael D. Dickey
Summary: Ultra-tough and stretchable ionogels can be achieved by randomly copolymerizing two monomers with distinct solubility in an ionic liquid. These ionogels have high fracture strength, fracture energy, and Young's modulus, while being highly stretchable and possessing self-healing and shape-memory properties.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qing Xia, Luming Meng, Tingchao He, Guangxi Huang, Bing Shi Li, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: This study provides a systematic exploration of chiral amplification of chiral aggregation induced emission (AIE) molecules in liquid crystals (LCs) from direct visualization of their co-assemblies at the nano scale to theoretical calculation of the molecular packing modes on a single molecular level. The direct visualization using AFM imaging revealed that chiral AIE molecules self-assembled into helical fibers to serve as the helical template for LCs to bind, forming co-assemblies with morphologies of pearled necklaces or thick rods. Theoretical calculations suggested that chiral AIE molecules were packed into left-handed helical fibers with empty space between neighboring molecules, providing binding sites for LCs.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Shuai Hao, Jianxin Zhang, Xuemeng Yang, Tianci Li, Hongzan Song
Summary: A new method was reported to fabricate highly stretchable and highly conductive fluorescent ionogels through self-catalytic cross-linking, revealing excellent process controllability and multifunctional application potential.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY C
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Seungmin Nam, Dahee Wang, Chaehyun Kwon, Sang Hyun Han, Su Seok Choi
Summary: Structural color can be produced by nanoperiodic dielectric structures using soft materials, and stretchable chiral photonic elastomers (CPEs) can self-organize into a helical nanostructure, with the chiral nanostructural color controlled by stretching. This study presents stretchable CPEs with simultaneous multicolor control, including electrical control, and demonstrates various device applications such as multiarrayed color binning and chameleon-like photonic e-skin. The ability to control the separation of biomimetic multicolors in stretchable photonic systems improves the functionality of potential photonic applications.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Shuting Li, Xuan Zhou, Jiliang Zhu, Kaiyang Du, Yike Du, Han Gao
Summary: Based on Landau-de Gennes theory and the finite-difference iterative method, this study investigates the autonomic modulation of chiral inversion in a cylindrical cavity with degenerate planar anchoring. It is found that chiral inversion can be achieved due to the nonplanar geometry effect and the inversion capacity increases with the helical twisting power. The combined effect of saddle-splay K24 contribution and helical twisting power is analyzed, showing potential applications in smart devices.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sonja Dieterich, Friedrich Stemmler, Natalie Preisig, Frank Giesselmann
Summary: The use of non-amphiphilic gelators in lyotropic nematic phases allows for the creation of lyotropic nematic gels with preserved micellar aggregate size and shape. These new gels combine the optical properties of a liquid crystal phase with the mechanical stability of a gel, showing promise for applications in stimuli-responsive actuators and sensors.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
L. O. Palomares, J. Adrian Reyes, G. Reyes
Summary: We introduce a joint Lagrangian to describe the interaction between a non-magnetic chiral or twisted nematic phase and an electromagnetic wave. By applying the Oseen transformation, the Lagrangian is rewritten to decouple the electric components from the director angle of the liquid crystal, resulting in a nonlinear dynamical equation that governs the electromagnetic fields within the liquid crystal phase. We propose a trial solution to obtain an approximate solution for the fields, allowing us to analyze an intensity dependent band structure.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Russell K. W. Spencer, Bae-Yeun Ha, Nima Saeidi
Summary: Many macromolecules in both biological and technological fields are chiral and semi-flexible. This study presents a method to study the formation of chiral nematic phases, offering a new approach to understanding the behavior of semi-flexible chiral-nematic polymers.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Lawrence W. Honaker, Chang Chen, Floris M. H. Dautzenberg, Sylvia Brugman, Siddharth Deshpande
Summary: Biosensing using liquid crystals has great potential in developing sensing platforms and detecting biological amphiphiles due to its high sensitivity and optical feedback.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sebastian Echeverria-Alar, Marcel G. Clerc, Ignacio Bordeu
Summary: Spatial branching processes are observed in chiral nematic liquid crystals, where a cholesteric phase self-organizes into extended branching patterns. We study the spatial and temporal organization of thermally driven branching patterns in chiral nematic liquid crystal cells experimentally, and describe the observations using a mean-field model.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dan Qu, Matteo Archimi, Andrea Camposeo, Dario Pisignano, Eyal Zussman
Summary: A method of fabricating circularly polarized lasers using cellulose nanocrystals and a laser dye through evaporation-induced assembly is presented, showing controlled chiral nematic structure and modification of laser polarization state into left-handed, resulting in strong and tailored CP laser emission.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Joy Zhou, Jinwon Seo, Yudian Wu, Cedric P. P. Ambulo, Zachary M. M. Marsh, Kyungmin N. N. Lee, Nicholas P. P. Godman, Zachariah A. Page
Summary: Spatial control over molecular order in polymeric systems has the potential to advance healthcare and photonics applications. However, current challenges in implementing noncontact ordering mechanisms such as photoalignment include the use of high-intensity light, limitations to thin films and specific substrates, multistep syntheses, and costly processing. This study reports on an optimized process using photo-polymerization and -alignment to achieve substrate-independent photoalignment of thick, optically transparent LC networks, along with photopatterning for complex images. This user-friendly process will enable the production of stimuli-responsive plastics for improved human health and information security.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Vitaly P. Panov, Jiseon Yang, L. K. Migara, Hyun-Jin Yoon, Jang-Kun Song
Summary: We report on the waveform-induced rotation-time symmetry breaking in liquid crystal director motion and explore its existence in the space of waveform parameters. The possibility of utilizing this system, which exhibits both spatial and temporal long-range order, as a modeling tool for experimental studies on discrete time crystals is discussed.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Arash Momeni, Christopher M. Walters, Yi-Tao Xu, Wadood Y. Hamad, Mark J. MacLachlan
Summary: Researchers developed concentric chiral nematic polymeric fibers using liquid crystal systems and polymerization techniques confined within capillary tubes, allowing control over pitch length and obtaining single-domain structures only in small-diameter tubes.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2021)
Article
Physics, Applied
F. Castles
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2015)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
P. S. Grant, F. Castles, Q. Lei, Y. Wang, J. M. Janurudin, D. Isakov, S. Speller, C. Dancer, C. R. M. Grovenor
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
(2015)
Article
Optics
F. Castles
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
D. V. Isakov, Q. Lei, F. Castles, C. J. Stevens, C. R. M. Grovenor, P. S. Grant
MATERIALS & DESIGN
(2016)
Article
Physics, Applied
Damian J. Gardiner, Stephen M. Morris, Philip J. W. Hands, Flynn Castles, Malik M. Qasim, Wook-Sung Kim, Su Seok Choi, Timothy D. Wilkinson, Harry J. Coles
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2012)
Article
Physics, Applied
Doo-Hyun Ko, Stephen M. Morris, Alexander Lorenz, Flynn Castles, Haider Butt, Damian J. Gardiner, Malik M. Qasim, Bodo Wallikewitz, Philip J. W. Hands, Timothy D. Wilkinson, Gehan A. J. Amaratunga, Harry J. Coles, Richard H. Friend
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2013)
Article
Physics, Applied
S. M. Morris, M. M. Qasim, K. T. Cheng, F. Castles, D-H. Ko, D. J. Gardiner, S. Nosheen, T. D. Wilkinson, H. J. Coles, C. Burgess, L. Hill
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2013)
Article
Physics, Applied
A. Lorenz, D. J. Gardiner, S. M. Morris, F. Castles, M. M. Qasim, S. S. Choi, W-S Kim, H. J. Coles, T. D. Wilkinson
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2014)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
F. Castles, S. M. Morris, J. M. C. Hung, M. M. Qasim, A. D. Wright, S. Nosheen, S. S. Choi, B. I. Outram, S. J. Elston, C. Burgess, L. Hill, T. D. Wilkinson, H. J. Coles
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Stephen M. Morris, Malik M. Qasim, Damian J. Gardiner, Philip J. W. Hands, Flynn Castles, Gouli Tu, Wilhelm T. S. Huck, Richard H. Friend, Harry J. Coles
Article
Optics
Simon M. Wood, Themistoklis K. Mavrogordatos, Stephen M. Morris, Philip J. W. Hands, Flynn Castles, Damian J. Gardiner, Katie L. Atkinson, Harry J. Coles, Timothy D. Wilkinson
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Katie L. Atkinson, Stephen M. Morris, Flynn Castles, Malik M. Qasim, Damian J. Gardiner, Harry J. Coles
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Th. K. Mavrogordatos, S. M. Morris, F. Castles, P. J. W. Hands, A. D. Ford, H. J. Coles, T. D. Wilkinson
Editorial Material
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
F. Castles, S. M. Morris, H. J. Coles