Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/H96249/01
Title:	STRUCTURAL INVESTIGATION OF FRUSTRATED CHIRAL SELF ORGANIZATION LIQUID CRYSTAL SYSTEMS
Principal Investigator:	Hird, Dr M
Other Investigators:	Styring, Professor P
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Chemistry
Organisation:	University of Hull
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 October 1993	Ends:	30 September 1996	Value (£):	96,667
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Materials Characterisation Materials Synthesis & Growth
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
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Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
The effects of chirality upon the properties of liquid crystals are extremely interesting and are of great importance in their applicability to electrooptic and optoelectronic devices. The incorporation of molecular asymmetry into the molecular structures of mesomorphic materials can lead to the generation of ferro-, ferri- and antiferro-electric properties (including Devil's staircase structures), twist grain boundary (TGB) phases and blue phases. Recently, two, as yet uncharacterised optically active isotropic liquid phases have been discovered. The previous work in the field has shown the unusual and intriguing effects that high degrees of molecular chirality can confer upon liquid- crystalline materials. However, if the benefits of this work are to be realised then an in-depth programme of work is necessary that will combine the efforts of chemists and physicists to fully investigate the properties and structures of these interesting chiral liquid crystal phases. We propose, initially, to produce and characteirse known chiral liquid crystal materials with the necessary desirable phase sequences and examine certain physical properties (eg optical purity, pitch and polarisation). These materials will then be subjected to a full and systematic physical analysis. High pressure studies will be used to investigate the phase behaviour of the materials and structural investigations of the chiral phases will be carried out using light scattering and diffraction techniques and freeze fracture methods. We also propose to design and synthesise novel chiral liquid crystal materials with high optical purities. The structure of the materials will, as soon as possible, take full account of the results obtained from the phase structure studies. It is anticipated that further chiral phase types will be exhibited by some of the novel materials.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.hull.ac.uk