Liquid Crystals

The book begins with a description of the liquid crystal phase emphasizing its relationship to the other three well-known phases of matter. The types of molecules that form liquid crystal phases and the different liquid crystal phases are then discussed. Some of the general properties of liquid crystals are introduced and the book then addresses how we arrived at our current understanding of the liquid crystal phase. The electromagnetic and optical properties of liquid crystals are addressed and coloured pictures taken under a microscope are used to illustrate many of the properties discussed in the text. A discussion of current applications of liquid crystals and their importance in fluid systems consisting of components which do not mix with each other is included and the role liquid crystals play in the study of soap systems, surfactants and emulsions of various kinds is considered. The book then introduces the reader to what polymers are, how they are made and what properties make them useful and discusses the special characteristics of liquid crystal polymers. It discusses the applications utilizing defect structures that occur on the formation of liquid crystals and the book ends with an examination of the role liquid crystals play in biological systems.