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Nicholas Abbott - Cornell University

Abstract:

Liquid crystalline phases formed by low molecular weight compounds combine the ordering and mobility of molecules typically associated with crystals and liquids, respectively. This combination of properties leads to a range of unique interfacial behaviors, including the capability to amplify atomic-scale events into the optical scale. This presentation will address the ordering of oily liquid crystals at two classes of interfaces: interfaces of catalytic metal alloysand aqueous phases. New principles for probing the behaviors of molecules at interfaces, and for transducing chemical and mechanical energy, will be discussed.