Developing novel liquid crystal technologies for display and photonic applications

Modern liquid crystal displays (LCDs) require novel technologies, such as new alignment methods to eliminate alignment layers, fast response and long operation time. To this end, we report an overview of recent efforts in LCD technologies devoted to realize more display modes having no alignment layer, faster switching time and low battery consumption. In particular, we overview recent advances on the liquid crystals (LCs) alignment for display applications, which includes superfine nanostructures, polymeric microchannels and polymer stabilized LCs. Furthermore, we analyze the main optical and electro-optical properties of new generation LCDs displays addressing a particular attention to LCs blue phase hosting gold nanoparticles. Moreover, we focus on the progress of electrofluidic displays, which demonstrates characteristics that are similar to LCDs, with attention on various pixel designs, operation principles and possible future trends of the technology.     

Development of structurally modified OER catalysts with enhanced performance and longevity for PEM-based electrolytic air dehumidification

PEM-based electrolytic air dehumidification is innovative in dehumidification that requires high precision and small space due to its high efficiency, compactness, and cleanness. However, the system dehumidification performance and durability are limited by using commercial Anatase-IrO₂ catalysts. In this study, two types of structurally modified OER catalyst materials, ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂, are developed to improve the performance of the system. System experiments showed that, compared to the commercial catalysts, the use of ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂ as the anode catalyst can improve the dehumidification performance by 45% and 20%, respectively. Furthermore, in 50-h accelerated aging tests, the attenuation rates of the ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂ systems are 3% and 8% respectively, which are far lower than the 35% attenuation of commercial catalyst. The results indicate that, as catalysts with a classic core-shell structure, ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂ still have a significant impact on improving the performance of the electrolytic dehumidification systems.     

Cover Picture: Arresting,Fixing, and Separating Dimers Composed of Uniform Silica Colloidal Spheres (Adv. Funct. Mater. 12/2006)

In colloidal suspensions of silica, particles undergo constant collisions. By controlling various parameters, the repulsive barrier can be reduced, thereby substantially increasing the number of collision‐induced dimerization events. Xia and co‐workers report on p. 1627 that the dimers could be arrested and then permanently fixed by introducing a small amount of fresh tetraethylorthosilicate into the colloidal suspension, with monodisperse dimer yields of up to 50 %. This yield could be increased to 80 % by centrifugation in a density gradient medium. When fresh tetraethylorthosilicate is introduced into a colloidal suspension of silica spheres, it hydrolyzes and condenses in situ to arrest and fix the dimers resulting from constant collisions between the spheres. By optimizing the experimental parameters (including the length of aging time) and the diameter of the silica spheres, as well as the concentrations of counterions, water, and ammonia, it is possible to routinely produce monodisperse dimers with a yield as high as 50 %. When combined with centrifugation using a density gradient medium, the yield of such dimers could be further increased to 80 %. It is believed that this method will provide a simple and versatile approach to the high‐volume production of dimers from spherical colloids composed of different materials. These dimers may find widespread use in a range of applications such as fabrication of photonic crystals and fundamental studies related to colloidal science.     

干腌火腿的质量缺陷及防止措施

由于猪腿原材料或者加工技术的问题,而造成干腌火腿产品质量的多种缺陷。综述了干腌火腿中常见的各种质量缺陷以及防止这些质量缺陷的措施。     

聚合物分散液晶(PMMA:5CB:C60)光折变特性的实验研究

用溶致相分离方法制备了3种不同组分的聚合物分散液晶薄膜(PMMA：5CB：C60)，C60作为敏化剂。利用二波耦合实验测量了不同样品的衍射效率和响应时间等光折变特性，实验发现，液晶含量不同的薄膜光学性质有很大的不同。     

Panchromatic Chromophore Mixtures in an AlPO4‐5 Molecular Sieve: Spatial Separation Effects and Energy Transfer Cascades

Dye‐loaded AlPO₄‐5 single crystals were prepared by microwave‐assisted hydrothermal synthesis from a batch, containing a mixture of three chromophores (Coumarin 40, Rhodamine BE50, and Oxazine 1) differing in their absorption range, molecular dimensions, and solubilities. Confocal fluorescence images reveal a spatial separation effect of the dye molecules, where the slimmer, more‐soluble dye molecule (Coumarin 40) is uniformly distributed in the body of the single crystal, and the bulky and/or less‐soluble ones (Rhodamine BE50, Oxazine 1) are situated in distinct domains. Visible spectra show good panchromatic absorption of visible light. Fluorescence lifetime measurements indicate the presence of an energy transfer cascade of the entirely fixed dye molecules from Coumarin 40 to Oxazine 1. The transfer mechanism is predominantly radiative.     

Critical-point drying versus freeze drying for scanning electron microscopy: a quantitative and qualitative study on isolated hepatocytes

Critical-point drying and freeze drying were compared both quantitatively and qualitatively as preparative procedures for scanning electron microscopy. Isolated hepatocytes were used as model cells. Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy was used for light microscopic measurements of the hepatocytes in the unfixed, the glutaraldehyde fixed, the glutaraldehyde + OsO₄ fixed, the critical-point dried and the freeze dried states. Critical-point dried hepatocytes were found to shrink to 38% of glutaraldehyde + OsO₄ fixed volume, whereas optimal freeze dried hepatocytes (frozen in water saturated with chloroform and freeze dried at 183 K for 84 h) were found to shrink to 51% of glutaraldehyde + OsO₄ fixed volume. Transmission and scanning electron micrographs of the critical-point dried cells showed well-preserved ultrastructure and surface structure. Micrographs of the freeze dried cells showed ultrastructure destroyed by internal ice crystals and surface structure destroyed by external ice crystals. Double-fixed isolated hepatocytes were shown to swell during storage in buffer and to shrink during storage after critical-point drying. For low magnification scanning electron microscopy (up to about 3000 times) both critical-point drying and freeze drying can be used. However, for high magnification scanning electron microscopy, critical-point drying is superior to freeze drying.     

Continuous precipitation of calcium sulfate dihydrate from waste sulfuric acid and lime

Precipitation of calcium sulfate dihydrate, gypsum, from (i) a pure sulfuric acid/lime suspension and (ii) a waste sulfuric acid/lime suspension in a continuous pilot plant in the temperature range from 40 °C to 80 °C was studied. It was observed that in the case of waste sulfuric acid with a high content of Mg²⁺ and Fe²⁺ ions, several hours after the beginning of the precipitation, partial dissolution of the product and modification of the crystals from needle‐ and plate‐like to agglomerated structures occurred. It is suggested that the secondary changes occur due to the increased concentration of Mg²⁺ and Fe²⁺ ions in the reactor. Below 60 °C, and above 70 °C plate‐like and needle‐like single crystals respectively were formed. The mean size (d₅₀) of the crystals was found to increase with increasing temperature and decrease with the initial concentration of lime. Gypsum produced between 70 °C and 80 °C is suitable for further processing for construction plaster. In a precipitation process with pure sulfuric acid only single perfect needle‐like crystals occurred. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Colloidal Photonic Crystals Doped with Gold Nanoparticles: Spectroscopy and Optical Switching Properties

Polystyrene artificial opals with few gold nanoparticles (AuNp) embedded in the interstices (doping) are grown by using the meniscus technique starting from a mixed suspension of microspheres and AuNp. Samples having different sphere diameters and nanoparticle loads have been prepared. Their reflectance spectra clearly show a dramatic bathochromic shift of the photonic stop band (up to 1400 cm^–1) and a reduction of its full width half maximum, due to an increase of the effective refractive index of about 8 % with respect to bare opals, which is accounted for by analytical theoretical models. Reflectance spectra do not show any direct evidence of AuNp absorption even at the higher AuNp doping level. Nanosecond transient absorption measurements on these systems indicate that a variation of transmission (optical switching) of about 150 % is observed for AuNp doped opals upon photoexcitation with 9 ns laser pulses at 532 nm. No switching is instead observed for bare opals.