Special Issue "Liquid Crystals"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Kevin D. Belfield
Department of Chemistry and CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, P.O. Box 162366, Orlando, FL 32816-2366, USA
Website: http://chemistry.cos.ucf.edu/faculty_belfield.php
E-Mail:
Phone: +1 407 823 1028
Fax: +1 407 823 2252
Interests: photonic materials; self-assembly; linear and nonlinear photophysics; two-photon fluorescent probes; multiphoton bioimaging; block copolymer probes for two-photon fluorescence microscopy imaging

Dear Colleagues,

Since the first reported observation of a liquid crystalline behavior by the Austrian botanist Friedrich Reinitzer in 1888, liquid crystals have attracted immense scientific interest. Scientists have been drawn to the study of liquid crystals by both their unusual mesomorphic properties, being intermediate between the solid, crystalline state and the isotropic liquid phase, and the relative aesthetics attained upon observing the often spectacular mesophases between cross polarizers on an optical microscope. Over the past three to four decades, a number of unique properties exhibited by liquid crystalline materials in response to external stimuli have been exploited in a number of important technologies. For example, ferroelectric liquid crystals have been key components in the digital age, leading a revolution in display technology. Thermotropic liquid crystalline materials continue to find their place in numerous products including the healthcare field. Lyotropic liquid crystalline polymers have propelled the field of high strength, light weight materials for a number of military and civilian applications, including their important contribution in body armor. It is fitting that we have special issues in the Journal of Molecular Sciences and Materials dedicated to this still very intriguing class of materials that promises to continue to be an integral part of emerging technologies.

Kevin D. Belfield, Ph.D.
Guest Editor

Related Special Issue

Liquid Crystals in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Submission

All papers should be submitted to materials@mdpi.com. To be published continuously until the deadline and papers will be listed together at the special issue website.

Submitted papers should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. All papers are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed quarterly journal published by MDPI. Review manuscripts: Before writing their manuscripts, potential authors of review articles should forward the title and a short abstract to materials@mdpi.com. We will then provide feedback on the suitability of the topic.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

Article Processing Charges (APC) will be waived for well prepared manuscripts of invited papers. For the first two volumes of this new journal the APC are of 300 CHF (or 550 CHF per paper for those papers that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections).

• liquid crystal
• mesogen
• mesomorphic
• thermotropic
• lyotropic
• smectic
• nematic
• liquid crystalline polymers
• cholesteric