Möbius strips are nonintuitive objects. They appear multi-dimensional but are single-sided. Such topologies show up in other systems, too. Here we see a liquid crystal where molecular alignments, along with Keep reading
Tag: liquid crystals
Waves in Liquid Crystals
Liquid crystals are now ubiquitous in displays, but scientists are still discovering new properties for this state of matter. Here, a team explores nematic liquid crystals, whose rod-like shape rotates Keep reading
An Intro to Liquid Crystals
There’s a good chance that the screen you’re using to read this uses liquid crystals, but how much do you know about this ubiquitous technology? Liquid crystals are fluids made Keep reading
Dendritic
“What happens when two scientists, a composer, a cellist, and a planetarium animator make art?” The answer is “Dendritic,” a musical composition built directly on the tree-like branching patterns found Keep reading
Waltzing Defects
Liquid crystals are a peculiar state of matter with both liquid and crystalline properties. In this video, a microfluidic device breaks water into droplets surrounded by a shell of liquid Keep reading
A Broken Monitor’s Fingers
In this short video, the artists of Chemical Bouillon explore a broken LCD monitor and its liquid crystals. By sandwiching the fluid between thin, transparent sheets, they create dendritic shapes Keep reading
Liquid Crystal Films
Smectic liquid crystals can form extremely thin films, similar to a soap bubble, that are sensitive to electrically-induced convection. Here an annular smectic film lies between two electrodes. When a Keep reading
How Fast Do Holes Grow?
Taylor and Culick predicted a constant velocity for the rim of an opening hole in a soap film of uniform thickness. Unfortunately, it is difficult to experimentally produce a soap Keep reading