Ferroelectric liquid crystals: Realities and possibilities – Rolfe Petschek

Date: Thu. September 16th, 2004, 4:15 pm-5:15 pm
Location: Rockefeller 301

Ferroelectric liquid crystals are of scientific interest and also have a variety of potential applications. I will review the various ways in which people have proposed to, claimed to, or succeeded in making ferroelectric liquid crystals, and suggest why it is “hard”. I will also suggest new possible ways to make such phases, and in particular ideas for and constraints on the formation of ferroelectric nematic phases.