Abstract: Systems and methods for detection of an amphiphile at a liquid crystal interface include the production of circular polarized light. A system 100 for detecting an amphiphile at a liquid crystal interface comprises a source of white collimated light. A circular polarizer is included for circularly polarizing incoming white light. Polarized white light passes through to an LC grid including a suspended LC film and a solution in contact with the LC grid at a surface. A spectrophotometer optically detects the presence of an amphiphile at the surface by determining a change in birefringence exhibited by the suspended LC film. A method for detecting amphiphiles at a liquid crystal water interface comprises shining collimated white light on an LC cell including an LC film, polarizing the white light with a circular polarizer, adding an amphiphile to a solution in contact with the LC film, and optically detecting the presence of the amphiphile by measuring a change in birefringence exhibited by the LC film.

Abstract: The invention provides a liquid crystal (LC) composition, a LC cell thereof, and a LC device thereof. The LC composition comprises (i) a mixture of two or more nematic liquid crystals, and (ii) at least one chiral dopant. The mixture of the liquid crystals can exist in a blue phase within a temperature range of from about 12-60° C. such as 21-28° C. The LC device can be a blue phase mode liquid crystal display (BPLCD) based on such a room-temperature blue phase LC. The BPLCD requires no alignment, and it exhibits merits such as a fast switching time (e.g. sub-millisecond), a low switching voltage and a large field-induced birefringence, among others.

Abstract: A surface-stabilized in-plane switching (SS-IPS) liquid crystal (LCD) cell includes a pair of spaced substrates that include alignment layers disposed thereon. The alignment layers are treated to define a first director orientation. Disposed between the alignment layers is a liquid crystal material that contains polymer fibrils that are disposed upon each of the alignment layers. The polymer fibrils serve to maintain the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in the first director orientation when no voltage is applied to the LCD cell via interdigitated electrodes disposed upon the alignment layers, thus improving the dynamic response of the SS-IPS LCD cell.

Abstract: A thermochromic fabric utilizing cholesteric liquid crystals includes a fabric material or garment formed therefrom. The liquid crystal material is patterned with a plurality of different liquid crystal formulations, whereby each formulation has high thermal sensitivity over a narrow temperature range. As a result, the aggregate pattern of liquid crystal material formed on the thermochromic fabric allows the thermochromic fabric to have high thermal sensitivity over a broad temperature range. As such, the fabric or garment may be worn on specific body parts of a patient, such as his or her feet, to assist in making a medical diagnosis.

Abstract: A multi-functional photochromic chiral nematic liquid crystal window comprises at least a photochromic chiral nematic liquid crystal layer. The windows are able to not only to darken in color upon exposure to sunlight irradiation but also control the light and the heat passing through them, which can be used as the windows of buildings, vehicles, and the like.

Abstract: A robotic fuel cell assembly system includes an end-effector, robotic workcell, and fuel cell components that have integrated design features that allow accurate component alignment during the assembly process of a fuel cell stack within a desired tolerance, while avoiding component overlap, which is a major cause of overboard gas leaks during the fuel cell operation. Accurate component alignment is achieved by electrically non-conductive alignment pins that are mounted on a fuel cell base plate, which are configured to be received by guide holes formed on the fuel cell components, and alignment holes provided by an alignment arm attached to the end-effector. The end-effector also includes a passive compliance system that includes two perpendicularly mounted miniature linear blocks and rails, which serve to compensate for the limitations in the ability of the robotic arm to move the end-effector accurately in a repeated manner.

Abstract: A method of electrophoretic movement of particles through a liquid crystal utilizes a direct (DC) or alternating (AC) electric field that is applied along the liquid crystal director (for liquid crystals with a positive dielectric anisotropy) or perpendicular to the director (for liquid crystals with a negative dielectric anisotropy). A perpendicular or tilted orientation of the liquid crystal molecules at the surface of the particle causes distortions, such that the fore-aft (or left-right) symmetry of the particle is broken. The asymmetric orientation of the liquid crystal around the particle allows both charged and neutral particles to be transported, even when the particles themselves are perfectly symmetric (spherical).

Abstract: A method of tilting liquid crystal molecules is presented. The method entails providing a substrate including a photoalignment layer on top of a layer of liquid crystal molecules. The photoalignment layer is exposed to patterned light that is incident on the substrate at a substantially normal angle. The patterned light is polarized in a polarization direction that is non-parallel to an incident surface of the substrate.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for scaling reachability computations on relatively large graphs. In an embodiment, a method provides for scaling reachability computations on relatively large graphs, the method comprising, identifying an initial graph comprising a plurality of vertices and a plurality of edges, processing at least a portion of the plurality of vertices and at least a portion of the plurality of edges to generate a plurality of reachability indices for the at least a portion of the plurality of vertices, and generating a backbone graph comprising a scaled-down version of the initial graph, based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of reachability indices.

Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a fiber mat comprising polymer fibers with ferroelectric particles embedded in the polymer fibers. The ferroelectric particles are oriented to generate a net polarization in the fiber mat. The ferroelectric particles may comprise barium titanate particles. The polymer fibers may comprise polylactic acid (PLA) fibers. The piezoelectric device may further include substrates sandwiching the fiber mat, and the fiber mat may be formed by electrospinning polymer fibers containing ferroelectric particles onto one of the substrates. The piezoelectric device may be a piezoelectric actuator configured to receive an input voltage applied across the fiber mat and to output a mechanical displacement in response to the voltage, or the piezoelectric device may be configured to output a voltage in response to a mechanical force applied to the fiber mat.

Abstract: A liquid crystal composition comprising a chiral dopant compound represented by the following structure (Structure 1): wherein: R1 and R2 are independently hydrogen, —(C?O)R9, —(C?O)R10, alkyl, aryl, alkaryl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxyaryl, or heterocyclic all either substituted or unsubstituted, or combine to form a carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring; R3 is hydrogen, halogen, cyano, alkoxy, NHCOR9, NHSO2R9, COOR9, OCOR9, aryl, alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, or heterocyclic all either substituted or unsubstituted; R4 is hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, or heterocyclic all either substituted or unsubstituted; R5, R6, R7, and R8 are independently hydrogen, halogen, cyano, alkoxy, NHCOR9, NHSO2R9, COOR9, OCOR9, aryl, alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxyaryl or heterocyclic all either substituted or unsubstituted, or combine with each other, or R5 can combine with R4 to form a carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring; R9 and R10 are independently alkyl, alkoxy, aryl, naphthyl, styryl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, alko

Abstract: The present invention provides an electro-optical device comprising a cell of polymer-stabilized blue phase (PSBP) liquid crystal under an electrical field and a method of controlling the reflection and transmission of an incident electromagnetic radiation such as visible light, by way of controlling the electrical field. The invention exhibits merits such as cost-effectiveness; simpler manufacturability due to the removal of requirements of polarizer and color filter; and fast switching, among others.

Abstract: An agent for imaging of a biological system or delivering drugs to a biological system including one or more nanoparticles formed of at least one gadolinium coordination polymer.

Abstract: A bistable switchable liquid crystal device is provided in which the device can be switched between a transparent and an opaque state by a predetermined voltage pulse. The device is based on polymer stabilized cholesteric materials. No additional amount of voltage has to be applied to the device in order to sustain the optical states. Therefore, the device is energy-saving.

Abstract: Novel microlens array architectures for enhanced light outcoupling from light emission are provided. Organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) that include an outcoupling layer including these novel microlens array architectures and method for fabricating such OLEDs are provided. These devices may be used to provide OLEDs with optimized light extraction.

Abstract: Electrically reconfigurable metamaterial with spatially varied refractive index is proposed for applications such as optical devices and lenses. The apparatus and method comprises a metamaterial in which the refractive indices are modified in space and time by applying one or more electric fields. The metamaterials are electrically controllable and reconfigurable, and consist of metal (gold, silver, etc.) particles of different shapes, such as rods, with dimension much smaller than the wavelength of light, dispersed in a dielectric medium. The metamaterial is controlled by applying a non-uniform electric field that causes two effects: (1) It aligns the metallic anisometric particles with respect to the direction of the applied electric field and (2) It redistributes particles in space, making their local concentration position dependent.

Abstract: The invention is directed to network management systems and methods that provide substantially real-time network management and control capabilities of multimedia streaming traffic in telecommunications networks. The invention provides pre-emptive and autonomous network management and control capabilities, and may include shared intelligence of embedded systems—Heterogeneous Sensor Entities (HSE) and the Sensor Service Management (SSM) system. HSEs are distributed real-time embedded systems provisioned in various network elements. HSEs performs fault, configuration, accounting, performance and security network management functions in real-time; and real-time network management control activations and removals. SSM facilitates automated decision making, rapid deployment of HSEs and real-time provisioning of network management and control services. The service communication framework amongst various HSEs and the SSM is provided by the Heterogeneous Service Creation system.

Abstract: A method of tilting liquid crystal molecules is presented. The method entails providing a substrate including a photoalignment layer on top of a layer of liquid crystal molecules. The photoalignment layer is exposed to patterned light that is incident on the substrate at a substantially normal angle. The patterned light is polarized in a polarization direction that is non-parallel to an incident surface of the substrate.

Abstract: Fluorophores derived from photoactivatable azide-pi-acceptor fluorogens or from a thermal reaction of an azide-pi-acceptor fluorogen with an alkene or alkyne are disclosed. Fluorophores derived from a thermal reaction of an alkyne-pi-acceptor fluorogen with an azide are also disclosed. The fluorophores can readily be activated by light and can be used to label a biomolecule and imaged on a single-molecule level in living cells.