Active learning with 3Dmol.js
David Ryan Koes · 2020
Functional control over the orientation of liquid crystals has become an operating principle for modern computer-display technologies, and it promises to play an important role in the development of novel organic electronics and wearables. In particular, emerging chemistries involving the self-assembly of organic-based molecular components have the potential to significantly increase versatility and function of future technologies. Donor acceptor columnar liquid crystals (DACLCs) are one such class of versatile, self-assembling liquid crystals. We have previously shown that thermal-gradient-based alignment techniques can achieve a fine degree of control over the orientation of DACLC columns in films. In addition, well-aligned regions of DACLC films exhibit strong dichroism when exposed to linearly polarized light. Here, we illustrate how the combination of these functional properties offers great potential for DACLC applications in data storage and encryption, based on optical readout. In addition, we discuss the synthesis of core-asymmetric component molecules and their incorporation into new DACLC materials capable of higher-order thermal and magnetic-field-based control over molecular orientation and material alignment.