This is an exciting stage in the development of organic electronics. It is no longer an area of purely academic interest as increasingly real applications are being developed, some of which are beginning to come on-stream. Areas that have already been commercially developed or which are under intensive development include organic light emitting diodes (for flat panel displays and solid state lighting), organic photovoltaic cells, organic thin film transistors (for smart tags and flat panel displays) and sensors. Within the family of organic electronic materials, liquid crystals are relative newcomers. The first electronically conducting liquid crystals were reported in 1988 but already a substantial literature has developed. The advantage of liquid crystalline semiconductors is that they have the easy processability of amorphous and polymeric semiconductors but they usually have higher charge carrier mobilities. Their mobilities do not reach the levels seen in crystalline organics but they circumvent all of the difficult issues of controlling crystal growth and morphology. Liquid crystals self-organise, they can be aligned by fields and surface forces and, because of their fluid nature, defects in liquid crystal structures readily self-heal. With these matters in mind this is an opportune moment to bring together a volume on the subject of ‘Liquid Crystalline Semiconductors’. The field is already too large to cover in a comprehensive manner so the aim has been to bring together contributions from leading researchers which cover the main areas of the chemistry (synthesis and structure/function relationships), physics (charge transport mechanisms and optical properties) and potential applications in photovoltaics, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). This book will provide a useful introduction to the field for those in both industry and academia and it is hoped that it will help to stimulate future developments.

The pivotal text that bridges the gap between fundamentals and applications of soft matter in organic electronics Covering an expanding and highly coveted subject area, Supramolecular Soft Matter enlists the services of leading researchers to help readers understand and manipulate the electronic properties of supramolecular soft materials for use in organic opto-electronic devices, such as photovoltaics and field effect transistors, some of the most desired materials for energy conservation. Rather than offering a compilation of current trends in supramolecular soft matter, this book bridges the gap between fundamentals and applications of soft matter in organic electronics in an effort to open new directions in research for applying supramolecular assembly into organic materials while also focusing on the morphological functions originating from the materials' self-assembled architectures. This unique approach distinguishes Supramolecular Soft Matter as a valuable resource for learning to identify concepts that hold promise for the successful development of organic/polymeric electronics for use in real-world applications. Supramolecular Soft Matter: Combines important topics to help supramolecular chemists and organic electronics researchers work together Covers an interdisciplinary field of prime importance to government-supported R&D research Discusses the concepts and perspectives in a dynamic field to aid in the successful development of organic electronics Includes applications for energy conservation like photovoltaics and field effect transistors Teeming with applicable information on both molecular design and synthesis, as well as the development of smart molecular assemblies for organic electronic systems, Supramolecular Soft Matter provides more practical in-depth coverage of this rapidly evolving technology than any other book in its field.

Lists citations with abstracts for aerospace related reports obtained from world wide sources and announces documents that have recently been entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database.

This book focuses on the exciting topic of nanoscience with liquid crystals: from self-organized nanostructures to applications. The elegant self-organized liquid crystalline nanostructures, the synergetic characteristics of liquid crystals and nanoparticles, liquid crystalline nanomaterials, synthesis of nanomaterials using liquid crystals as templates, nanoconfinement and nanoparticles of liquid crystals are covered and discussed, and the prospect of fabricating functional materials is highlighted. Contributions, collecting the scattered literature of the field from leading and active players, are compiled to make the book a reference book. Readers will find the book useful and of benefit both as summaries for works in this field and as tutorials and explanations of concepts for those just entering the field. Additionally, the book helps to stimulate future developments.

Controlling the properties of materials by modifying their composition and by manipulating the arrangement of atoms and molecules is a dream that can be achieved by nanotechnology. As one of the fastest developing and innovative -- as well as well-funded -- fields in science, nanotechnology has already significantly changed the research landscape in chemistry, materials science, and physics, with numerous applications in consumer products, such as sunscreens and water-repellent clothes. It is also thanks to this multidisciplinary field that flat panel displays, highly efficient solar cells, and new biological imaging techniques have become reality. This second, enlarged edition has been fully updated to address the rapid progress made within this field in recent years. Internationally recognized experts provide comprehensive, first-hand information, resulting in an overview of the entire nano-micro world. In so doing, they cover aspects of funding and commercialization, the manufacture and future applications of nanomaterials, the fundamentals of nanostructures leading to macroscale objects as well as the ongoing miniaturization toward the nanoscale domain. Along the way, the authors explain the effects occurring at the nanoscale and the nanotechnological characterization techniques. An additional topic on the role of nanotechnology in energy and mobility covers the challenge of developing materials and devices, such as electrodes and membrane materials for fuel cells and catalysts for sustainable transportation. Also new to this edition are the latest figures for funding, investments, and commercialization prospects, as well as recent research programs and organizations.