The York Research Database

Liquid crystal displays, LCDs, are the world’s ubiquitous communication devices. In only 50 years, from the late 1960s to the present day, we have seen the birth of a new industry and its accession to dominance across the globe. How was this achieved? Imagination and innovation from device engineers? Yes, but the dreams could only be realised via equally extraordinary developments in the nanoscale engineering of molecular structures of materials through rational design. This article describes how the chemistry of liquid crystals developed so that mesophase structure, transition temperatures and physical properties could be predicted by the best practitioners of the subject so that new device concepts could be realised.