Liquid Crystals, Laptops and Life

Book excerpt: Life, Laptops and Liquid Crystals connects the science of one of the icons of the digital age, the laptop computer, with life itself via liquid crystals, the phase of matter essential to both. The book begins with a review of basic chemistry and physics, then goes on to discuss semiconductors, polymers, liquid crystals, and the molecules of life. Applications of these basic concepts to electronic devices, liquid crystal displays, art, and of course the laptop computer, complete the text. Physics, chemistry, materials science, electronics, and biology are all essential to understanding those topics. The necessary concepts in each field are developed with an eye to emphasizing molecules and molecular interactions. Each chapter concludes with review exercise, as well as references and research questions that encourage the reader to explore the topics in more depth.