Liquid crystal science underlies the technology of about half the current display technology by value, an industry now worth some $10 billion per annum worldwide. The fundamental science straddles the disciplines of chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics and computer science. Among liquid crystal scientists today there is much interest in the historical process that has brought the subject to its present level. The historical roots lie in the years following 1888, again in the interwar years, and finally in the late 60s and 70s.
This book has collected important papers in the...

Liquid crystals allow us to perform experiments that provide insight into fundamental problems of modern physics, such as phase transitions, frustration, elasticity, hydrodynamics, defects, growth phenomena, and optics (linear and non linear). This excellent volume meets the need for an up-to-date text on liquid crystals.
Nematic and Cholesteric Liquid Crystals: Concepts and Physical Properties Illustrated by Experiments is a result of personal research and of the graduate lectures given by the authors at the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon and the University of Paris VII, respectively....

Given the widespread interest in macroscopic phenomena in liquid crystals, stemming from their applications in displays and devices. The need has arisen for a rigorous yet accessible text suitable for graduate students, whatever their scientific background. This book satisfies that need.
The approach taken in this text, is to introduce the basic continuum theory for nematic liquid crystals in equilibria, then it proceeds to simple application of this theory- in particular, there is a discussion of electrical and magnetic field effects which give rise to Freedericksz transitions, which are...

Alignment phenomena are characteristic of liquid crystalline materials, and understanding them is critically important in understanding the essential features and behavior of liquid crystals and the performance of Liquid Crystal Devices (LCDs). Furthermore, in LCD production lines, the alignment process is of practical importance. Alignment Technologies and Applications of Liquid Crystal Devices demonstrates both the fundamental and practical aspects of alignment phenomena in liquid crystals. The physical basis of alignment phenomena is first introduced in order to aid the...

This book was written to enable physicists and engineers to learn, within a single course, some topics in variational calculus, theory of elasticity, molecular models, and surface properties of nematic materials. It prepares graduate students for studies that require a simple knowledge in the physics of nematic liquid crystals. With this consideration in mind, the authors have formulated the problems concerning the continuum theory of liquid crystals into a precise form. In working out the solutions, they have analyzed, systematically and naturally, the techniques and methods of variational...

This volume provides a practical overview of the many liquid crystal devices that were discovered until 1989. Their operating principles and their pros and cons are presented. The book also tries to provide useful insights into some of the manufacturing techniques required to realize LCDs.