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Liquid Crystals with Interfacial Ordering that Enhances Responsiveness to Chemical Targets
Author(s) -
Nayani Karthik,
Rai Prabin,
Bao Nanqi,
Yu Huaizhe,
Mavrikakis Manos,
Twieg Robert J.,
Abbott Nicholas L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201706707
Subject(s) - materials science , nanotechnology , liquid crystal , wearable computer , wearable technology , key (lock) , optoelectronics , computer science , embedded system , computer security
The development of stimuli‐responsive materials suitable for use in wearable sensors is a key unresolved challenge. Liquid crystals (LCs) are particularly promising, as they do not require power, are light‐weight, and can be tuned to respond to a range of targeted chemical stimuli. Here, an advance is reported in the design of LCs for chemical sensors with the discovery of LCs that assume parallel orientations at free surfaces and yet retain their chemoresponsiveness. The resulting LC‐based sensors are more sensitive and exhibit faster responses than previous LC sensor designs.