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Liquid Crystal Laboratory

Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University

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Liquid crystals are the smart materials which are used in displays, modulators, sensors, solar cells, and many other devices we deal with in our daily lives: at our house, on the street, and at our job. LCDs are now an industry that generates over ten billion dollars per year. Liquid crystals are applied in biology and medicine, and for oil recovery as well as in food production. The molecules of the human body (e.g., DNA, proteins) can also form liquid crystal phases. Many applications of liquid crystals require the manipulation of structures on the nanometer scale. For example, these highly sensitive materials are capable of changing their structure on the nanoscale level for detection of small fractions of harmful impurities. Many challenges could be potentially solved with help of liquid crystals, such as the creation of artificial muscles and global energy reduction. The investigation of liquid crystals makes an important contribution to the development of new scientific methods and approaches in mathematics, computer science, molecular-statistical physics, thermodynamics, electrodynamics, etc. The methods derived in the framework for the research of liquid crystals could be applied in different areas, and therefore, liquid crystal research is intended to stimulate progress in science in general.

General research topics:
  • Molecular-statistical theory of liquid crystal phases
  • Computer simulations of liquid crystal structures
  • Optoelectronics and nonlinear optics of liquid crystals
  • Light sensitive liquid crystal materials
  • Development of liquid crystalline polymers for creating the artificial muscles
  • Study of capillary effects in liquid crystals at the International Space Station
  • Development of ultra-fast liquid crystals for creating the field sequential color displays
  • Invention of new LC materials capable of detecting impurities of harmful or dangerous substances in the environment
  • Investigation of optical memory in liquid crystals

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The Liquid Crystal Laboratory works in close cooperation with the Chair of Polymer and Crystal Physics, where, in particular, the students listen to their courses. Before 2018, the laboratory was a part of the Chair of Polymer and Crystal Physics. In 2018, the laboratory became an independent structural division at the Faculty of Physics of Moscow State University, as a result of winning the University-wide competition for laboratories headed by young scientists. In total, 11 new laboratories were created in MSU, two of them are at the Faculty of Physics. The laboratory fulfills the bilateral scientific projects with universities and research centers in the United States, Czech Republic, Taiwan, and Japan.

Address:Russian Federation, Moscow, Leninskie Gory, 1-35, 1st floor, rooms 61, 78, 79, 81, 86