Design and Optimization of Adaptive Liquid Crystal Devices using Computational Multiphysics

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Liquid crystals (LCs) are phases of matter that exhibit properties in between those of liquids and crystalline solids, such as anisotropic material properties (directional-dependence) and fluidity (flow). These properties make them suitable for a broad range of adaptive technologies. While the most familiar application LCs are liquid crystal displays (LCDs), over the past few decades a staggering array of new applications of LCs have been developed in the areas of high-performance materials, bio-sensing, and adaptive optics. These advances have resulted from significant efforts of LC researchers to better understand the effects of design and operating conditions on LC material properties and device performance. The design of LC-based technology is a challenging engineering design task, and requires approaches that address the multiphysics inherent in LCs: the complex couplings of mass, momentum, energy, and charge transport. Simulation-based research has played a vital enabling role in past advances in LC device design; a key example of this is in the advancement of LCD technology over the past decade. However, most of this past research has focused on simplified simulation methods which are not able to capture the effects of real-world conditions (temperature variation, spatially-varying fields, ionic impurities, etc.). Within this context, the long-term goal of this research program is to develop simulation methods that capture LC multiphysics and apply them to the design and optimization of relevant next-generation adaptive LC technology. Continuum mechanics-based models will be used in conjunction with advanced numerical and high-performance computing methods in order to perform simulations of dynamic LC multiphysics processes. A multiphysics LC model will be developed which will account for conservation of linear momentum (flow), angular momentum (LC reorientation), energy (sensible and latent heat), mass (presence of impurities), charge (electrostatics), and phase transition. Using this model and simulation method, simulation-based design studies will be performed, focusing on adaptive optical lenses in order to predict design parameters and operating conditions that have optimal performance characteristics (reduced field threshold and optical distortions). The proposed research program will guide experimental research and development in the area of adaptive LC lens technology, which will result in significant technological advances in application areas ranging from mobile robotics to ophthalmic diagnostic equipment. Additionally, the training of highly-qualified personnel (HQP) will result in the addition to Canada's workforce of experts in the application of computational multiphysics to advanced manufacturing design areas such as computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer analysis.