Thermotropic Liquid Crystals

"Thermotropic Liquid Crystals: Recent Advances" covers developments in the field of thermotropic liquid crystals and their functional importance. As a result, a range of exciting molecules such as columnar liquid crystals that lack side chains, liquid crystalline dendrimers, and unusually shaped amphiphilic molecules have been made. Thermotropic Liquid Crystals: Recent Advances covers developments in the field of thermotropic liquid crystals and their functional importance. In addition it presents advances related to different sub-areas pertinent to this interdisciplinary area of research. This text brings together research from synthetic scientists and spectroscopists and attempts to bridge the gaps between these two areas. Recent studies have reported a plethora of novel mesogenic molecules which triggered new interest in this area of research. Use of design concepts such as microphase segregation, non-covalent interactions, dipole-dipole interactions and shape anisotropy enabled the incorporation of any chemical structure into a liquid crystal. As a result, a range of exciting molecules such as columnar liquid crystals that lack side chains, liquid crystalline dendrimers, and unusually shaped amphiphilic molecules have been made. Characterization of these surprising molecules poses a tremendous challenge to existing physical techniques. This comprehensive text has chapters covering the applications of high-resolution methods, such as solid-state NMR, that have been used to understand the high-resolution structure, dynamics, orientation, and orientational order of these molecules in various phases. This book will prove to be an invaluable resource to students, researchers, and academics active in Chemistry, Material Science, and Nano-science programs. It will also be of interest to Scientists from industries that focus on this research.

Since the early 1970s, thermotropic liquid crystals have played a central role in molecular electronics and display devices. The discovery of liquid crystal polymers has lead to the development of high tensile strength fibres, and new liquid crystal technologies hold promise for advances in several other areas, such as large area displays for word processors, computer terminals, and temperature-sensing devices. This volume is designed to encourage collaboration among physicists, organic chemists, electronic engineers, and other specialists in the physical sciences in order to facilitate research and development in this field. It provides thorough coverage of the subject by experts in various areas, including detailed treatments of the structure and organization in various liquid crystal phases; the relations between their strongly anisotropic properties and molecular structure; and clear insights into their applications and the underlying physics involved in each. Each chapter begins by examining fundamental concepts, introducing newcomers in the field to the associated terminology and providing a basic understanding of its multidisciplinary nature.