NSF-Europe: Joint FLCMRC/LICRYL Research on Advanced Liquid Crystalline Materials

意大利最大的液晶（LC）研究中心卡拉布里亚大学液晶实验室（LICRYL）与美国国家科学基金会资助的材料研究科学与工程中心（MRSEC）科罗拉多大学博尔德分校铁电液晶材料研究中心（FLCMRC）提出了一项联合研究计划。所申请的资金将用于在广泛的前沿液晶研究领域进行科学合作，将两个中心的互补能力结合起来，形成一个独特的实体，能够推进LC和软物质科学与技术。集体的研究专长将被引入到以液晶-光和液晶-界面相互作用为主要总体主题的项目中，解决诸如表面上微晶的对准和锚定等关键问题，这是一个非常重要的技术领域，以及液晶的光对准，这是光寻址器件发展的一个有前途的途径。拟议的活动的智力价值来自拟议的研究的技术重要性，要解决的广泛的基础科学问题，以及通过两个中心的共同努力所带来的独特和互补的专门知识领域。研究生交流将使年轻科学家接触不同的研究文化，并为他们提供尖端研究技术方面的技术培训。该项目的教育效益将从研究生研究人员扩展到通过中心外展项目服务的K-12学生。考虑到拟议研究的广泛潜在应用，这种合作很可能会使美国和意大利的私营部门获得技术转让。位于博尔德的科罗拉多大学的铁电液晶材料研究中心（FLCMRC）是美国国家科学基金会资助的材料研究科学与工程中心（MRSEC），目前正在与意大利最大的液晶（LC）研究中心卡拉布里亚大学的液晶实验室（LICRYL）提出一项联合研究计划。FLCMRC是美国液晶专业技术的主要中心之一，也是世界上研究极性和手性及其在凝聚相中的相互作用的独特场所，将利用这笔资金进一步发展和加强1997年开始与卡拉布里亚大学的联合研究和博士生支持计划。这两个中心将在广泛的前沿液晶研究方面进行合作，将他们互补的研究能力结合成一个独特的实体，能够推进液晶和软物质科学和技术，重点是理解液晶-衬底相互作用，并开发新型光学寻址设备。拟议的活动在教育、工业推广和人力资源开发领域的广泛影响将是实质性的，将扩大和加强两个中心正在进行的项目，如CU/UC国际博士项目和FLCMRC在CU的K-12科学丰富课程中非常成功的材料科学项目。计划中的研究生交流为年轻研究人员在实验室内外的专业发展和文化丰富提供了一个独特的机会。这两个中心都有实质性技术转让的记录，包括生产液晶显示产品和科学设备的分拆商业企业。考虑到拟议研究的广泛潜在应用，此次合作很可能会在美国和意大利的新颖LC应用领域（如超非线性光学、光折变效应、由光聚合产生的器件结构和超低功耗双稳态向列显示电池）中产生技术转让给私营部门。

A joint program of research between the Liquid Crystal Laboratory (LICRYL) at the University of Calabria, Italy's largest liquid crystal (LC) research center, and the Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center (FLCMRC) at the University of Colorado in Boulder, an NSF-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), is proposed. The requested funding will enable scientific collaboration on a broad range of forefront liquid crystal research, combining the complementary capabilities of the two Centers into an entity uniquely capable of advancing LC and soft matter science and technology. The collective research expertise will be brought to bear on projects having liquid crystal - light and liquid crystal - interface interactions as the principal overall themes, addressing such key problems as the alignment and anchoring of smectics on surfaces, an area of great technical importance, and the photo-alignment of liquid crystals, a promising route to the development of photo-addressed devices. The intellectual merit of the proposed activity derives from the technological importance of the proposed research, the broad range of fundamental scientific questions to be addressed, and the unique and complementary areas of expertise brought to bear through the joint efforts of the two Centers. The exchange of graduate students will expose young scientists to different research cultures and provide them with technical training in cutting-edge research techniques. The educational benefits of the program will extend beyond the graduate researchers to K-12 students served through the Centers' outreach programs. Given the wide variety of potential applications of the proposed research, it is likely that this collaboration will engender technology transfer to the private sector both in the U.S. and in Italy.%%%The Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center (FLCMRC) at the University of Colorado in Boulder, an NSF-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), is proposing a joint program of research with the Liquid Crystal Laboratory (LICRYL) at the University of Calabria, Italy's largest liquid crystal (LC) research center. The FLCMRC, which is one of the principal centers of liquid crystal expertise in the US and a unique venue worldwide for research on polarity and chirality and their interplay in condensed phases, will use this funding to further develop and enhance a program of joint research and Ph.D. student support begun with Calabria in 1997. The Centers will collaborate on a broad range of forefront liquid crystal research, combining their complementary research capabilities into an entity uniquely capable of advancing liquid crystal and soft matter science and technology, with an emphasis on understanding liquid crystal - substrate interactions and on developing novel optically addressed devices. The broader impacts of the proposed activity in the areas of education and industrial outreach and human resource development will be substantial, augmenting and enhancing ongoing programs at the two Centers such as the CU/UC International Ph.D. Program and the FLCMRC's highly successful Materials Science from CU program of K-12 science enrichment classes. The planned exchange of graduate students provides a unique opportunity for the professional development and cultural enrichment of young researchers, both inside and outside the laboratory. The Centers both have track records of substantive technology transfer, including spin-off commercial ventures producing liquid crystal display products and scientific equipment. Given the wide variety of potential applications of the proposed research, it is likely that this collaboration will engender technology transfer to the private sector both in the U.S. and in Italy in novel LC applications areas of high interest such as ultranonlinear optics, photorefractive effects, device structures created by photopolymerization, and ultra-low power bistable nematic display cells.