Liquid crystals - Presentation
Our research focuses on the physical design of complex cholesteric chiral liquid crystal structures with a pitch gradient, a double helicity and with a spatially-variable orientation of the helical axis. Synthetic materials, biological materials and biomimetic materials inspired from insect carapaces are addressed. We are particularly interested in establishing the relationship between the details of the design scheme and the optical properties, which are related to the multiscale structure — from nanoscale to mesoscopic scale — by combining complementary microscopies. Prototype materials are fabricated for applications in the field of switchable smart reflective windows, wavelength-sensitive chiral microlenses and micro-mirrors, and in optical communication generally speaking.
Contact: Michel Mitov, mitov at cemes.fr
