TITLE: Almost Two Decades in The Amazing World of Confined Liquid Crystals

Prof. Daniel Finotello
Dept pf Physics, Kent State University

ABSTRACT:

The study of confined liquid crystals flourished in the late ninety
eighties. The growth in interest results from the several fundamental
studies that are possible, as well as the considerable potential for
applications. The study of the properties of liquid crystals under
confinement has been researched in well-defined or interconnected
geometries as found in porous media ranging from Anopore to Aerogel,
from Nuclepore to CPG, from polymer dispersed liquid crystal networks,
to Aerosil dispersions. Using several different techniques, phenomena
studied have ranged from structural and phase transitions to surface
induced order-disorder to wetting at interfaces. In this presentation
after briefly reviewing a few of the existing studies, we will stress
the important role that the nuclear magnetic resonance technique has
played in the investigation of confined liquid crystals structures.