Friday, October 28, 2005
Unconventional Applications
of Liquid Crystals:
From Scarab Beetles to Solar Cells
James Rego
Chemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona
Liquid crystals (LCs) are anisotropic fluids that possess varying degrees of long range order normally associated with crystals, while retaining the fluidity of true liquids. Due to their many
organizational motifs, as well as their molecular "tunablity" through synthetic manipulation, LCs are particularly attractive self-organizing molecules. Although they were discovered over 100 years ago, it has been fairly recently that LCs have spawned technological applications
through rational design. The use of LCs in display applications is well known. However, there are potentially many other applications of LCs yet to be realized. This talk will present efforts in my lab to develop novel uses of these unique materials ranging from molecular sensors to
photovoltaics.
Refreshments at 4:00 PM. Seminar begins at 4:10 PM.
Building 8 (Science Bldg.) - Room 241
For further information, please call (909) 869-4014
