Event
MSE Seminar Series: Rajratan Basu, Ph.D., U.S. Naval Academy
Friday, November 2, 2018
1:00 p.m.
2108 Chem/Nuc (bldg #90)
Ichiro Takeuchi
takeuchi@umd.edu
https://mse.umd.edu/events/seminars
Speaker: Rajratan Basu, Ph.D., Professor of Physics @ U.S. Naval Academy
Title: 2D Hexagonal Nanomaterials-based Liquid Crystal Devices
Abstract:
The planar-alignment agent in an electro-optic liquid crystal (LC) device plays an essential role for the LC’s electro-optical characteristics. Rubbed polyimide (PI) layers are conventionally used as the planar-alignment agent in traditional liquid crystal displays (LCDs). I will present our recent experimental results to show that 2D hexagonal nanosheets, such as hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and graphene (GP) can serve as the planar-alignment agent in an LC cell. These 2D h-BN and GP nanosheets have higher chemical stability and more optical transparency than the PI layer. Also, GP’s electrical conductivity can be utilized to replace the transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes in the LC device. I will show that the 2D GP nanosheet can be employed simultaneously as the electrodes and the planar-alignment agent in the LC cell. These 2D nanosheet-based LC cells show improvements in the ion-concentration, optical transmittance, and LC switching times, which may have potential applications in the LCD industries.
