2016 MRS Spring Meeting on Liquid Crystals (8060)

March 28, 2016 – April 01, 2016

​

Location

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

​

Organizers

Liang-Chy Chien, Kent State University
Ivan Smalyukh, University of Colorado, Boulder
Timothy White, Air Force Research Laboratory
Helen Gleeson, University of Leeds

​

Overview

The 2016 MRS on Liquid Crystals will focus on their roles in self-assembly, nanoscience and biotechnology. The conference will address the most important current themes in liquid crystals presented by the world’s leading scientists in the fields of biomedical science, engineering, and nanotechnology. Participation from renowned researchers will guarantee that the conference will significantly advance the knowledge and understanding within the broad field of liquid crystal science. A mix of basic and applied scientists has been invited with an emphasis on discussions and originality, will allow the attendees to exchange novel ideas and to explore creative and original concepts.

Composed of anisotropic organic and biological molecules, liquid crystals interact with external fields, nanoparticles, polymers and surfaces to influence strongly their orientational order, structure and physical properties. From the basic perspective, the orientational order and collective molecular behavior are central contributions to the biological science of self-assembly of membranes, to the dynamics of tissues and muscles activities, to DNA assemblies, and to active swimmers such as colloids or nanoparticles. The extraordinary values and contributions of liquid crystals to the modern photonic and information display technologies have revolutionized the way we visualize and present information in so-called flexible devices, ranging from bendable to rollable devices for green energy and photonic applications.