Current Advances in Liquid Crystals

Dear Colleagues,

The broad field of liquid crystals (LCs) has attracted the attention of chemists, physicists, biologists, and engineers alike since the discovery of liquid crystal phase by the Austrian botanist Friedrich Reinitzer in 1888. LC phases combine the material properties of crystals with the flow properties of liquids. As such, they have provided the foundation for a revolution in the low-power, flat-panel display technology known as LCD. Interestingly enough, many diversified, chemical–structural architectures (rod-shaped, disc-shaped, and bent-shaped) exhibit various types of LC phases that include organic molecules, main-chain and side-chain polymers, hyperbranced polymers, dedrimers, ionic molecules, and even zwitter ionic molecules, to mention a few. They have many technogical applications because of their chemical diversities and types of LC phases. For example, Kevlar—lyotropic LC aromatic polyamide—and Vectra—thermotropic aromatic LC polyester—are the basis of light-weight, high-strength materials for a numer of civilian and military applications, including their important contribution in body armor. Side-chain LC polymers are known as functional polymers for non-linear optical properties and data storage capabilities. Additionally, ionic liquid crystals (ILCs) that form columnar, smectic, and bicontinuous cubic phases can provide well-organized 1D, 2D, and 3D channels capable of transporting ions and electrons. They can be used as electrolytes for batteries and photovoltaics, semiconductors, and electroluminescence and electrochemical devices. ILCs are the reent addition to the ever-increasing field of LCs.                         

Therefore, we invite researchers to submit their articles and reviews to this Special Issue of Molecules on “Liquid Crystals” that aims to identify and review the latest research on the broad field of liquid crystals that have been demonstrated to have a great impact in molecular science. Manuscripts can be related to any aspect of liquid crystals, such as (but not limited to):

• Synthesis of novel LCs
• Structure–property–application of LCs
• Novel types of LCs
• Applications of LCs in devices
• Biological applications of LCs
• Physical properties of LCs
• Computer simulations of the phase behaviour of LCs
• Theoretical models of LCs

Prof. Dr. Pradip K. Bhowmik
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.