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liquid crystal

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liquid crystal

[′lik·wəd ′krist·əl]
(physical chemistry)
A liquid which is not isotropic; it is birefringent and exhibits interference patterns in polarized light; this behavior results from the orientation of molecules parallel to each other in large clusters.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

liquid crystal

A liquid crystal is a state of matter between liquid and solid (a "mesophase"). They change shape like a fluid but have the molecular alignment characteristics of a solid crystal. Liquid crystals are composed of organic, rod-shaped molecules that align in parallel, and the common types used in electronic displays are nematic, cholesteric and smectic. See LCD, LCD types and LCD categories.

Nematic LCs
Randomly positioned in parallel, nematic LCs react quickly to electric fields, which is why they are used in the great majority of LCD screens. Meaning "thread" in Greek, nematic LCs are monostable and return to their original alignment when the electric field is removed.

Cholesteric LCs (Chiral Nematic LCs)
Cholesteric LCs are lined up in separate layers that form a spiral (helix). The displays retain their image without power (bistable) but are slower to react to changes than nematic screens. See cholesteric LCD.

Smectic LCs
Positioned side-by-side in layers, smectic LCs are bistable with similar attributes as cholesteric LCs. They retain their image without power and are slower to react than nematics. Smectic means "soapy" in Greek.

Discovered in the 19th Century
In 1888, liquid crystals were identified by Austrian botanist Friedrich Reinitzer and German physicist Otto Lehmann. Studying the cholesterol in carrots using a temperature-controlled polarizing microscope, they noticed that the light passing through the carrot compound (later known as "cholesteryl benzoate") exhibited the refraction effect of a solid crystal when heat was applied. By 1907, Germany-based Merck was selling "liquid and flowing crystal" chemicals.
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References in periodicals archive
Based on industry, the liquid crystal polymer market is classified into semiconductor and electronics, automotive, medical, consumer goods, and others (power generation and heavy engineering).
The study opines that although LCP resin & compounds witnessed ~75% of the overall sales in 2018, and are witnessing significant adoption, the analysis indicated that the lucrativeness of liquid crystal polymer films is likely to grow by the end of the forecast period, as they are envisaged to expand at ~6% CAGR during 2019 and 2029.
Figure 1 presents voltage-controllable guided propagation in a nematic liquid crystals coupler.
Ferrari, "Compact and broadband millimeter-wave electrically tunable phase shifter combining slow-wave effect with liquid crystal technology," IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol.
The behavior of thin film of liquid crystal in horizontal placement is quite different as compared to vertical placement.
However, the difference of the droplet size of the liquid crystal was not the only reason for the decrease of memory effect.
Therefore, the liquid crystal grating is now more homogeneous and its refractive index is higher than that of the polymerized monomer grating.
(NYSE: NTE) said it has received another additional new purchase order from an existing customer to extend the production at the company's Shenzhen facility of high-resolution liquid crystal display modules (LCMs) for a smartphone.
Miura has developed a polymeric engine consisting of a foam with a liquid crystal actuator.
has finalized an agreement on the sale of its liquid crystal display manufacturing plant in Chiba Prefecture to a new display venture to be created by the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, Panasonic and the government-backed investment fund said Monday.
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