Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Phase Transitions

Phase Transitions

Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Effect of ensemble averaging on Green-Kubo estimation of short-time stress relaxation modulus in all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of an unentangled polymer melt.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026

Same author

Origins of Enhanced Ion Transport in Nanostructured Anion-Conducting Polyelectrolytes.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Programmable Anisotropy: From Mesophase Order to Functional Architectures.

Chemical reviews·2026

Same author

Impact of Small-Alkane Solvents on Polyolefin Hydrogenolysis over a Ruthenium Catalyst.

Industrial & engineering chemistry research·2026

Same author

Manifold of Polyampholyte Necklaces: From Charge Migration to Hierarchical Structure.

Macromolecules·2026

Same author

The Role of Water Volume Fraction on Water Adsorption in Anion Exchange Membranes.

Macromolecules·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 21, 2025

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

Published on: October 31, 2019

Functional soft materials from blue phase liquid crystals.

Kushal Bagchi¹, Tadej Emeršič¹, José A Martínez-González²

¹Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.

Science Advances

|July 26, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Blue phase (BP) liquid crystals form nanoscale cubic lattices for photonic applications. Polymerized BP crystals offer stimuli-responsive materials for sensing and light control.

More Related Videos

Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites

Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites

Published on: February 6, 2016

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals

Published on: May 29, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 21, 2025

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

Published on: October 31, 2019

Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites

Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites

Published on: February 6, 2016

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals

Published on: May 29, 2018

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Polymer Chemistry

Background:

Blue phase (BP) liquid crystals are chiral fluids with self-assembled cubic lattices (100 nm scale).
Their unit cell size is comparable to visible light wavelengths, enabling selective Bragg reflections.
Photopolymerization enhances mechanical robustness and thermal stability for practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the preparation and characterization of stimuli-responsive, polymeric photonic crystals based on blue phases.
To highlight recent advancements in polymerized BP photonic crystals for sensing and light control.
To discuss the use of Landau-de Gennes simulations for predicting BP self-assembly and guiding experimental design.

Main Methods:

Review of literature on the preparation and characterization of polymerized blue phase liquid crystals.
Analysis of studies demonstrating stimuli-responsive and photonic properties.
Discussion of Landau-de Gennes simulations for theoretical prediction and experimental guidance.

Main Results:

Polymerized blue phase photonic crystals exhibit stimuli-responsive behavior.
These materials show promise for colorimetric sensing and dynamic light control applications.
Theoretical simulations can predict self-assembly and aid in material design.

Conclusions:

Polymerized blue phase liquid crystals are versatile soft materials with tunable photonic properties.
They offer significant potential for advanced applications in sensing and optical devices.
Further research using theoretical modeling can accelerate the development of novel soft materials.