What are Liquid Crystals?

Contents

• States of matter
  Solid, liquid & gas... and some more!
  
• The wave nature of light
  In order to understand the optical effects of liquid crystals you must be aquainted with the wave nature of light.
  
• Liquid crystals under the microscope
  Liquid crystals have extremely interesting optical characteristics.
  
• Classification of liquid crystals
  Nematic, smectic, cholesteric...
  
• Liquid crystals in an electric field
  The liquid crystal molecules respond strongly to electric fields. This gives them a great potential for electro-optic devices.
  
• Polar liquid crystals (advanced)
  Surface Stabilized Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals (SSFLC)
  

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