Nematic materials are made of elongated molecules that align in a preferred direction, but, like in a fluid, are spaced out irregularly. The best-known nematic materials are liquid crystals, which are ...

The nematic liquid crystal phase is defined by long-range orientational order of anisotropic molecules without positional order. In its simplest uniaxial form, molecules align along a common axis ...

Liquid crystal is a state of matter that exhibits properties of both liquid and solid. It can flow like a liquid, while its constituent molecules are aligned as in a solid. Liquid crystal is widely ...

The knots in your shoelaces are familiar, but can you imagine knots made from light, water, or from the structured fluids that make LCD screens shine? They exist, and in a new Nature Physics study, ...

Polyisocyanides are polymers distinguished by their helical structures, where the helix's winding direction (right- or left-handed) can be controlled through catalysts designed for synthesizing chiral ...

Imagine a “smart fluid” whose internal structure can be rearranged just by changing temperature. In a new study in Matter, researchers report a way to overcome a long-standing limitation in a class of ...

(Nanowerk Spotlight) Liquid crystals (LCs) are a distinct state of matter exhibiting properties between crystalline solids and isotropic liquids. Their partially ordered structure gives rise to unique ...

Ions influence conductivity and mobility in molecular liquid crystals, affecting electrical behavior, stability, and performance in both established and emerging technologies. (Nanowerk Spotlight) The ...

Electronic nematicity is a phase of some crystalline solids in which electrons' collective properties, such as charge or spin densities, organize themselves into ordered patterns, lowering the crystal ...