liquid crystal (redirected from smectic)

liquid crystal, liquid whose component particles, atoms or molecules, tend to arrange themselves with a degree of order far exceeding that found in ordinary liquids and approaching that of solid crystals. As a result, liquid crystals have many of the optical properties of solid crystals. Moreover, since the order is not as firmly fixed as that of a solid crystal, it can be easily modified with corresponding changes in the optical properties; typically, a small electrical impulse darkens the crystal so that it is clearly visible against the lighter background of neutral crystals. An array of seven lozenges, each of which can be darkened by a separate impulse, can yield any digit. Thus, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have become the most common means of producing visual readouts on such devices as digital clocks and electronic calculators. Some liquid crystals vary the color of the light that they reflect as their temperature changes. Since the colors reflected at any given temperature are quite specific, temperature can be measured by this means to an accuracy of 0.1°C;.

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liquid crystal

Substance that flows like a liquid but maintains some of the ordered structure characteristic of a crystal. Some organic substances do not melt directly when heated but instead turn from a crystalline solid to a liquid crystalline state. When heated further, a true liquid is formed. Liquid crystals have unique properties. The structures are easily affected by changes in mechanical stress, electromagnetic fields, temperature, and chemical environment. See also liquid crystal display.

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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.