Acquisition and Development of Fast Confocal Polarizing Microscope for Liquid Crystal Materials Research and Education

该资助为肯特州立大学用于液晶（LC）材料研究和教育的快速共聚焦偏光显微镜的获取和开发提供支持。该项目的目标是将最近发展起来的三维（3D）定向无损成像技术扩展到实时扫描的时域，以研究空间分辨率为1微米的毫秒时间尺度的过程。这种新型显微镜将极大地提高研究人员和教育工作者对现代材料中分子排列及其集体动力学的复杂世界的洞察力，具有重大的基础和应用价值。高速成像对于表征新材料的结构、性能和性能将是必不可少的，如lc -胶体和lc -聚合物复合材料、光子晶体、生物传感器，以及复杂几何形状的传统材料（例如，具有3D定向缺陷的lc）。由于这些材料中的许多都是新的，没有得到很好的研究，该仪器将带来基本性质的发现。这对液晶显示器、光束导向装置、光开关等实用器件的开发有很大的帮助。使用这种显微镜进行实时细菌检测将对公众的安全和健康做出贡献。该仪器将安装在肯特州立大学（KSU）液晶研究所（LCI），该研究所是一个公认的中心，拥有完善的基础设施，结合了基础和应用研究，拥有强大的工业合作伙伴计划和强大的各级教育计划。物理、化学、生物和跨学科项目的研究生和本科生将受益，参与外展项目的暑期本科生和K-12学生也将受益。这种新能力将使教育者能够展示现代材料和设备中基本现象的物理本质。

This grant provides support for the acquisition and development of a fast confocal polarizing microscope for liquid crystal (LC) materials research and education at Kent State University. The goal of this project is to expand the recently developed technique of three-dimensional (3D) non-destructive imaging of orientational order into the time domain of real-time scanning to study processes at the millisecond time scale with spatial resolution of 1 micrometer. This new microscope will significantly sharpen the insight of researchers and educators into the complex word of molecular arrangements and their collective dynamics in modern materials and is of great fundamental and applied interest. With high speed imaging it will be indispensable in characterization of structure, properties, and performance of new materials such as LC-colloidal and LC-polymer composites, photonic crystals, biosensors, as well as the traditional materials in complex geometries (for example, LCs with 3D director defects). As many of these materials are new and not well studied, the instrument will bring discoveries of fundamental properties. It will be of great help in development of practical devices such as LC displays, beam steering devices and optical switches. Using this microscope in the development of real-time bacterial detection would be a contribution to the safety and health of the public. The instrument will be installed at the Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI), Kent State University (KSU), a recognized center with well-developed infrastructure combining fundamental and applied research with strong industrial partnership program and with strong educational programs at all levels. Graduate and undergraduate students in physics, chemistry, biology and interdisciplinary programs will benefit, as will undergraduate summer students and K-12 students involved in outreach programs. This new capability will allow the educators to demonstrate the physical essence of fundamental phenomena in modern materials and devices.