Scientists create a ’crystal within a crystal’ for new electronic devices

Breakthrough from Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering lets scientists tailor blue phase crystals. Liquid crystals have enabled new technologies, like LCD screens, through their ability to reflect certain color wavelengths. Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory have developed an innovative way to sculpt a liquid "crystal within a crystal." These new crystals could be used for next-generation display technologies or sensors that consume very little energy. Because such crystals-within-crystals can reflect light at certain wavelengths that others can't, they could be used for better display technologies. They also can be manipulated with temperature, voltage or added chemicals, which would make them valuable for sensing applications. Changes in temperature, for example, would result in color changes. And because such changes would require only slight temperature variations or small voltages, the devices would consume very little energy.