The presence of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) marks the advances in mobile phones and television development over the last few decades. Japanese companies were the first to commercialize passive-matrix TNLCDs and, later on, high-resolution activematrix LCDs.Prof. Shunsuke Kobayashi has made essential contributions to Japan''s prominence in LCD development throughout this period. He is well-known not only for his own groundbreaking research, but also for the training of many prominent figures in the display industry, both in Japan and in other countries.This book brings together many prominent researchers in the field of liquid crystal science and technology, to share with us the key developments in LCD over the last few decades. It comprises of five categories OCo from basic physics and chemistry of liquid crystals, to detailed descriptions of alignment technologies, wide viewing angle technologies, LC optics, and display applications."

The presence of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) marks the advances in mobile phones and television development over the last few decades. Japanese companies were the first to commercialize passive-matrix TNLCDs and, later on, high-resolution activematrix LCDs.Prof. Shunsuke Kobayashi has made essential contributions to Japan's prominence in LCD development throughout this period. He is well-known not only for his own groundbreaking research, but also for the training of many prominent figures in the display industry, both in Japan and in other countries.This book brings together many prominent researchers in the field of liquid crystal science and technology, to share with us the key developments in LCD over the last few decades. It comprises of five categories — from basic physics and chemistry of liquid crystals, to detailed descriptions of alignment technologies, wide viewing angle technologies, LC optics, and display applications.The Slottow-Owaki Prize is awarded for outstanding contributions to the education and training of students and professionals in the field of information displays. This year, the award recipient is Dr. Hoi-Sing Kwok, SID fellow and professor at Hong Kong University, for providing education and training in display technology to many students and professionals in Asia through the creation of a display research center at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Liquid crystal technology is a subject of many advanced areas of science and engineering. It is commonly associated with liquid crystal displays applied in calculators, watches, mobile phones, digital cameras, monitors etc. But nowadays liquid crystals find more and more use in photonics, telecommunications, medicine and other fields. The goal of this book is to show the increasing importance of liquid crystals in industrial and scientific applications and inspire future research and engineering ideas in students, young researchers and practitioners.

Liquid crystals have attracted scientific attention for potential applications in advanced devices. Display technology is continuously growing and expanding and, as such, this book provides an overview of the most recent advances in liquid crystals and displays. Chapters cover such topics as nematic liquid crystals, active matrix organic light-emitting diodes, and tetradentate platinum(II) emitters, among others.

Liquid Crystal Sensors discusses novel applications of liquid crystals that lie beyond electrically driven optical switches and displays. The main focus is on recent progress in the area of sensors based on low molar mass and polymer liquid crystals. This area of research became "hot" in recent years since the possibilities for applications of liquid crystal sensors are growing in many areas, ranging from the detection of mechanical displacements to the detection of environmental pollutants and chemical agents. This book is well-suited for students, as well as scientists from different backgrounds. For students and researchers new to the field, it gives a thorough introduction. For experienced researchers it shows the latest breakthroughs and serves as an inspiration for solving problems or sparking new ideas. Key Features: Emphasizes how liquid crystals are extremely sensitive to external stimuli and therefore can be used for the construction of stimuli-responsive devices, such as sensors Includes the contributions of editors who are deeply involved in the field and author chapters on hot topics such as the sensitivity of liquid crystals to pollutants, UV light, and strain Provides an exclusive on LC sensors where having the data in one place will be very useful to the community Gives more information on sensors and broadens the scope by having a contributed volume rather than authored Combines recent data on advances in the area of liquid crystal sensors that includes many types of liquid crystal materials

For much of the past 60 years, the U.S. research community dominated the discovery of new crystalline materials and the growth of large single crystals, placing the country at the forefront of fundamental advances in condensed-matter sciences and fueling the development of many of the new technologies at the core of U.S. economic growth. The opportunities offered by future developments in this field remain as promising as the achievements of the past. However, the past 20 years have seen a substantial deterioration in the United States' capability to pursue those opportunities at a time when several European and Asian countries have significantly increased investments in developing their own capacities in these areas. This book seeks both to set out the challenges and opportunities facing those who discover new crystalline materials and grow large crystals and to chart a way for the United States to reinvigorate its efforts and thereby return to a position of leadership in this field.

This text is a primer for liquid crystals, polymers, rubber and elasticity. It is directed at physicists, chemists, material scientists, engineers and applied mathematicians at the graduate student level and beyond.