Catalyzing New International Collaborations: A Proposal to Study the Interaction Between Liquid Crystal Polymers and Nanoparticles(rods) Between Chile and the USA

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This award supports a new international collaboration between Prof. Eduardo Soto-Bustamante at the University of Chile and the Principal Investigator at the University of Maryland, College Park. The project is focused on studying the interactions of nanoparticles or nanorods with polymer liquid crystals. Specifically it will address the question on whether the ordering of the liquid crystals depends on how the liquid crystal polymer is formed and whether it can be independent of the nanoparticle arrangement. Possible applications of the products are in various technologies, including photovoltaics electro-optics, and in medicine. The project aims to combine the strengths of the participating researchers. The principal investigator and her group are experienced in studying the interaction of liquid crystals and nanoparticles, measurements of their electrical and magnetic properties, and structural characterization of these composites. Prof. Eduardo Soto-Bustamante, from the University of Chile, is a chemist who specializes in the synthesis of ferroelectric liquid crystals and polymeric liquid crystals, and is interested in including nanoparticles into polymeric liquid crystals to investigate their applications. This project will expose the participating students to part of the larger international community involved in liquid crystal research. The students will learn how to communicate between different disciplines, including materials science, physics, and chemistry. The collaboration will expand the reach of the PI?s international collaborations, and will increase the diversity in her group.