| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/R57560/01 |
| Title: |
MECHANICAL AND PHOTONIC EFFECTS IN CHOLESTERIC ELASTOMERS |
| Principal Investigator: |
Terentjev, Professor E |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Physics |
| Organisation: |
University of Cambridge |
| Scheme: |
ROPA |
| Starts: |
01 January 2002 |
Ends: |
31 December 2003 |
Value (£): |
120,390
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Materials Characterisation |
Materials Synthesis & Growth |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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This proposal will focus on deisgn and preperation of monodomain cholesteric elastomers - weakly crosslinked rubbers with cholesteric order and permantly aligned helix axis. Such systems, with a 1D-periodic refractive index modulation, represent a possible lasing medium, with the photonic resonant feedbank provided by the band edge. A secondary aim is to develop a chiral pump : a chiral gel network with stereoselective solvent retention. The main thrust of this project will be on material preperation: making series of chiral liquid crystalline elastomers by increasing the proportion of chiral groups in the side-chain copolymers and developing methods of forming aligned monodomain cholesteric textures. Physical experiment will concentrate on relating the helical pitch and the degree of its alignment to the material and preperation parameters, establishing the mechanical response and its influence on director texture, including the critical helix unwinding transition, and the preliminary testing of photonic resonance and lasing in freely-standing optically pumped dye-doped cholesteric elastomer films with mechanically adjustable band edge position.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.cam.ac.uk |