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Neste trabalho, várias técnicas foram utilizadas para estudar mesofases constituídas por laurato de potássio, cloreto de decilamônio, água e sulfato de brucina. Este sistema foi eleito por apresentar a fase colestérica biaxial, cuja caracterização continua se constituindo um problema digno de investigação. Foram efetuadas medidas reológicas sobre sistemas nemáticos e colestéricos, em diferentes composições e condições. Os valores das viscosidades aparentes foram calculados e o comportamento caracterizado. Para os estudos de RMN, introduziu-se nas amostras uma molécula probe, o racêmico dl alanina, procurando-se verificar se havia diferença na interação dos enantiômeros d e I com a matriz colestérica. Os espectros foram obtidos com variação de temperatura. Compararam-se os dados de variação do parâmetro de ordem, obtidos dos acoplamentos diretos, com a semi largura da linha larga dos espectros de próton, para obter informações sobre o comportamento da alanina e das micelas colestéricas. Todas as fases foram acompanhadas por estudos de microscopia sob luz polarizada, técnica simples e eficiente utilizada para caracterizar tipos de fases de cristais líquidos. / In this work, several techniques were used to study mesophases constituted by potassium laurate, decylammonium chloride, water and brucine sulfate. This system was chosen for presenting a cholesteric biaxial phase, whose characterization continues to be worthy of investigation. Rheological measurements were made on nematic and cholesteric systems, in different compositions and situations. The values of apparent viscosity were calculated and the behaviour was characterized. For the RMN studies, a probe moIecule, the racemic form of dl alanine, was introduced in the sampIes trying to verify difference between in interaction of the enantiomers d and I with the main cholesteric matrix. The spectra were obtained with temperature variation. It was compared the data of variation of the order parameter, obtained from the direct couplings, with the half width of the wide line of the proton spectra, to obtain information about the behaviour of the alanine and of the cholesteric micelles. All the phases were accompanied by microscopy studies under polarized light, simple and efficient technique to characterize types of liquid crystal phases.

The study proposed a high efficient dye sensitize solar cell (DSSC) by embedding liquid crystal in liquid electrolyte. When liquid crystal molecules was disperse in the liquid electrolyte, the light-scattering occur due to refractive index mismatching by randomly oriented liquid crystal droplets. The light-scattering allows solar light have longer optical path length within the solar cell and therefore enhances light-trapping efficiency of N719 dye. The experiment results reveal that the DSSC with the liquid crystal concentration of 20 wt% have best electric conversion efficiency. Moreover, the study also introduces chloseteric liquid crystal to the liquid electrolyte of a DSSC and compare with nematic liquid crystal embedded DSSC. The cholesteric liquid crystal with periodic helical structure in the liquid electrolyte provides not only light-scattering but also selective reflection. Compared with nematic liquid crystal embedded DSSC, the cholesteric liquid crystal embeded DSSC has a more large light-trapping efficiency due to combined effects of light scattering and selective reflection. Besides, when the reflective band (480~580nm) of cholesteric liquid crystal is matched to the absorption spectrum of N719 dye, the DSSC has better photoexcitation of dye and photovoltaic performance.

This thesis utilized pulse shaping and Gerberg-Saxton algorithm to develop high power tunable narrowband terahertz radiation and applications. By the way of using Freezing algorithm and Gerberg-Saxton, pulse width, pulse duration, pulse position and pulse number can be controlled. The pulse train can be pumping source of high power tunable narrowband terahertz radiation, by avoid the saturations and different pulse duration. The simulation shown the result can have 5GHz narrowband width closing to commercial product. Besides, we demonstrated the THz multi-wavelength interference method by using THz-TDS (terahertz time domain spectroscopy) to measure the liquid crystal cell gap. We have also used THz-TDS to investigate the complex optical constants and birefringence of cholesteric liquid crystal mixture BL006. The extraordinary (ne) and ordinary (no) indices of refraction at are 1.784-1.817 and 1.516-1.555 giving rise to a birefringence of 0.25¡V0.29 in 0.2THz~1.6THz.

In this thesis, we propose and demonstrate a simple and precise method for measuring mm scaled cell gap by using terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) system. This method allows us to measure the cell gap from 15mm to 1.5mm. In addition, the accuracy of measured thickness for the proposed method is also discussed and analyzed. Meanwhile, a nematic liquid crystal BL006 with birefringence as high as 0.27 in THz frequency range and its optical properties of cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) as mixing chiral materials are investigated and reported. The ordinary refractive index and average effective refractive index at 20oC are from 1.52 to 1.56 and from 1.61 to 1.64, respectively, in THz frequency ranging from 0.2 THz to 1.4THz. In addition, we also demonstrate that cell filled with CLC is with polarization independent property for THz radiation. Through the 5mm cell filled CLC with diluted concentration of the dopant chiral material for decreasing the critical voltage, an electric controlled polarization independent phase shifter with the modulation depth exceeding 2pi is demonstrated. Furthermore, we also investigate the driving field dependence of phase retardation and discuss the reliability.

Thermal behavior and molecular packing of a series of £\-helical poly(L-glutamates), with n-alkyl side chain of various lengths (m(number of carbons in the alkyl group) = 1, 2, 6, 12,18), were studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing light microscopy and X-ray diffraction. For polymers of m = 1 and 2, There is a pseudohexagonal structure below ca. 130 oC and above this temperature the stable phase is the hexagonal columnar phase. There exists a layered structure in the polymer of m = 6, as well as a solvent induced hexagonal columnar structure which formed during solution casting process. In the polymer of m = 12, a layered structure was formed in the temperature range between 20 to 255 oC. However, for longer side chain, m = 18, tendency of crystallization of alkyl long side chain forced the backbone to pack into layer structure. There are two distinct melting temperature at ca. 60 oC, and the enthalpy are ca. 53 and 19 J/g, which corresponding to the melting of hexagonal and monoclinic side chain crystallines. The polymers with longer side chain (m = 6, 12 and 18) tend to be lyotropic liquid crystalline phase within lamellar inter-rod distance of 1.25 nm in solution state, and the structure will remain after drying. However, the inter-rod distance will collapse at the temperature above ca. 200 ¢J and will not recover after cooling.

Neste trabalho, várias técnicas foram utilizadas para estudar mesofases constituídas por laurato de potássio, cloreto de decilamônio, água e sulfato de brucina. Este sistema foi eleito por apresentar a fase colestérica biaxial, cuja caracterização continua se constituindo um problema digno de investigação. Foram efetuadas medidas reológicas sobre sistemas nemáticos e colestéricos, em diferentes composições e condições. Os valores das viscosidades aparentes foram calculados e o comportamento caracterizado. Para os estudos de RMN, introduziu-se nas amostras uma molécula probe, o racêmico dl alanina, procurando-se verificar se havia diferença na interação dos enantiômeros d e I com a matriz colestérica. Os espectros foram obtidos com variação de temperatura. Compararam-se os dados de variação do parâmetro de ordem, obtidos dos acoplamentos diretos, com a semi largura da linha larga dos espectros de próton, para obter informações sobre o comportamento da alanina e das micelas colestéricas. Todas as fases foram acompanhadas por estudos de microscopia sob luz polarizada, técnica simples e eficiente utilizada para caracterizar tipos de fases de cristais líquidos. / In this work, several techniques were used to study mesophases constituted by potassium laurate, decylammonium chloride, water and brucine sulfate. This system was chosen for presenting a cholesteric biaxial phase, whose characterization continues to be worthy of investigation. Rheological measurements were made on nematic and cholesteric systems, in different compositions and situations. The values of apparent viscosity were calculated and the behaviour was characterized. For the RMN studies, a probe moIecule, the racemic form of dl alanine, was introduced in the sampIes trying to verify difference between in interaction of the enantiomers d and I with the main cholesteric matrix. The spectra were obtained with temperature variation. It was compared the data of variation of the order parameter, obtained from the direct couplings, with the half width of the wide line of the proton spectra, to obtain information about the behaviour of the alanine and of the cholesteric micelles. All the phases were accompanied by microscopy studies under polarized light, simple and efficient technique to characterize types of liquid crystal phases.

Nous présentons des résultats expérimentaux et théoriques sur les cristaux liquides en géométrie courbe. Nous étudions des coques de cristal liquide cholestérique dont la géométrie sphérique impose la présence de défauts topologiques. Ceci en fait un terrain de jeu idéal pour étudier la nature de ces singularités et leurs interactions. Nous observons un total de cinq configurations de défauts différentes, un atout remarquable dans le contexte d’auto-assemblage dans lequel ce projet s’inscrit. Les efforts combinés d’expériences et de simulations numériques nous permettent de décrire avec précision la structure des défauts. La complexité qui caractérise ces nouvelles structures est inhérente à la nature cholestérique de ces mésophases frustrées. Nous montrons qu’il est possible d’induire des transitions entre les différentes configurations, et examinons la dynamique qui y est associée. Nous établissons un modèle théorique qui rend compte de la position des défauts dans les différentes configurations. Nous discutons de l’équilibre subtil entre les interactions élastiques répulsives et le gradient d’épaisseur attractif qui résulte de la nature non-concentrique des coques. En outre, la confrontation du modèle aux expériences nous permet d’estimer les énergies associées aux nouvelles structures de défauts observées. Enfin, nous abordons les géométries toroïdales, et montrons que des transformations de formes peuvent nous permettre d’étudier la genèse et l’annihilation de défauts topologiques. / We present experimental and theoretical results on liquid crystals confined to curved geometries. We study cholesteric liquid crystal shells, the geometry of which imposes the presence of topological defects. This system constitutes an ideal playground to study the nature of these singularities and their interactions. We report a total of five different defect configurations, a remarkable feature in the context of self-assembly in which this work is set. Combining experiments and numerical simulations, we are able to accurately describe the inner structure of all observed defects. The complexity of these new structures is related to the cholesteric nature of the liquid crystal. We show that it is possible to induce transitions between the different configurations, and investigate the associated dynamics. We establish a theoretical model that successfully predicts the equilibrium defect positions in all configurations, and discuss the subtle balance between repulsive elastic interactions and attractive thickness gradients, arising from the eccentricity of the shells. Confronting the model to the experimental data, we are able to estimate the energies of nontrivial defect structures. Finally, we investigate toroidal geometries, and show how shape transformations can be interesting to study the genesis and annihilation of topological defects.

No description available.