Chiral nematic liquid crystalline sensors containing responsive dopants

In his 1990 book, Peter Collings refers to liquid crystals (LCs) as “Nature’s delicate phase of matter.”1 This is perhaps most apparent when looking at the use of LCs as sensors. Due to the inherent fragility of the phase, LCs make ideal candidates for sensors, as small disruptions to the localized order are propagated and ampli-ed throughout the bulk material. This responsiveness, coupled with the attractive optical properties of liquid crystalline materials, has been the focus of much of the investigation into the applications of the liquid crystalline phase.