Polymer Modified Liquid Crystals

A state-of-the-art account of current developments in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals and polymer-stabilized liquid crystals research.

Bridging soft matter physics, materials science and engineering, polymer-modified liquid crystals are an exciting class of materials. They represent a vibrant field of research, promising advances in display technologies, as well as non-display uses. Describing all aspects of polymer-dispersed and polymer-stabilized liquid crystals, the broad coverage of this book makes it a must-have resource for anyone working in the area. The reader will find expert accounts covering basic concepts, materials synthesis and polymerization techniques, properties of various dispersed and stabilized phases, and critical overviews of their applications. Written by leaders in the field, this book provides a state-of-the-art treatment of the topic. It will be essential reading for graduate students, as well as academic and industrial researchers needing an up-to-date guide to the field.

Focusing on the applied and basic aspects of confined liquid crystals, this book provides a current treatise of the subject matter and places it in the broader context of electrooptic applications.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Liquid Crystals" that was published in Materials

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) materials are of interest both for their potential in display technology and the fascinating science found in liquid crystals confined to small cavities. Liquid Crystal Dispersions is a comprehensive overview of the science and technology of this new class of materials. Topics covered include formation of PDLC devices, a catalog of droplet structures and transformations, device electro-optical properties, and applications. Liquid Crystal Dispersions will be of value to the nonspecialists keen on gaining an overview of this new field, as well as to specialists interested in a comprehensive review of work in this area.

Liquid Crystal Polymer Nanocomposites summarizes, in a comprehensive manner, numerous modern technical research accomplishments on the development of nanocomposites from liquid crystalline polymers. It emphasizes various studies at the nano-scale, including discussions of liquid crystalline block copolymers, liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposites, barrier property studies of liquid crystalline epoxy and their nanocomposites, liquid crystalline polymer-based microfibrillar and nanofibrillar composites, liquid crystalline polymer/nanoplatelet nanocomposites, liquid-crystalline elastomer/graphene oxide nanocomposites, and thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers. It provides detailed information on methods of preparation, the properties of these materials and a discussion on the structure-properties relationship. With an emphasis on data and experimental results, the book's authors illustrate how the liquid crystal structure can have an impact on the final properties of nanocomposite. Contains contributions from leading experts working in this specialized field of research Provides detailed information on the preparation, characterization and application of nanocomposites of liquid crystalline polymers Presents solutions to both fundamental and applied problems

Focusing on the applied and basic aspects of confined liquid crystals, this book provides a current treatise of the subject matter and places it in the broader context of electrooptic applications. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach to the

may never overcome the effects of hysteresis and stress (see Chapters 6 and 12). The first sentence of the reference work, Handbook of Liquid Crystals, reads: The terms liquid crystals, crystalline liquid, mesophase, and mesomorphous state are used synonymously to describe a state of aggregation that exhibits a molecular order in a size range similar to that of a crystal but acts more or less as a viscous liquid: [2] In other words, molecules within a liquid crystalline phase possess some orientational order and lack positional order; furthermore, the shape of a liquid crystalline sample is determined by the vessel in which it is contained rather than by the orientational order of its aggregated molecules. The authors recognized the limitations and imprecision of this definition but, like others preceding them, could not devise a simple and generally applicable one that is better. Regardless, the terms 'liquid crystal' and 'mesophase' should not be used interchangeably. As mentioned above, all liquid crystals are mesophases, but all mesophases are not liquid crystals. Recent studies, employing elaborate and sophisticated analytical techniques, have permitted finer distinctions between classical crystals and mesophases. At the same time, they have made definitions like that from the Handbook of Liquid Crystals somewhat obsolete for reasons other than terminology. One part of the problem arises from the use of a combination of bulk properties (like flow) and microscopic properties (like molecular ordering) within the same definition.