The spread of wearable devices is pushing the need for compact photonic elements with advanced light control functionality and recent development show, that Blue Phase (BP) liquid crystals have a promising future in such photonic devices. The project aims to obtain large 3D photonic crystals based BP liquid crystal structures, with controlled crystal orientation and photonic properties designed for topologically protected spatial lasing, light switching, and holography. This project is a joint effort focusing on:
(i) understanding the alignment mechanism of BPs through the development of new materials,
(ii) preparing large 3D photonic crystals based on BPs,
(iii) applying new materials in actual photonic devices: a laser microcavity, an all-optical tunable crystal, and a holographic element.

The project is truly interdisciplinary as the research teams, consisting of material scientists (PL), chemists and physicists (CZ) and external collaborators applied physicists (JP) will pursue new materials and ideas to develop protocols to direct self-assembly of BP photonic crystals on demand.

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Novel magnetoelectric liquid material could revolutionise sensing

The magnetoelectric (ME) effect, discovered in the 1960s, enables engineers to control electric properties with a magnetic field and vice versa. The only known ME materials to date are solid-state multiferroics, which are under intense study and development for applications in revolutionary memory technologies, and spintronic devices. On the other hand, solid-state piezolelectrics have been exploited in force sensing devices, enabling very high sensitivity to detect small changes, resulting in excellent resolution. While solid ME materials are well-suited to 'hard' devices, imagine the 'flexibility' – literally and practically – of liquid ME materials. The EU-funded MAGNELIQ project will develop a new liquid material, a ME liquid, and novel sensors that could be used in human-like devices from robotics to prostheses.

Our radical vision of a science-enabled technology is a magneto-electric (ME) liquid for new devices like distributed-force sensors that can transform complex structures like the skins of humanoid robots and artificial body parts. A ME material is characterised by having magnetic properties that can be manipulated with an electric field and, vice versa, electric properties that can be manipulated with a magnetic field. Until now the only ME materials have been solid-state mutliferroics, because until recently ferroic properties were considered to be specific to solid materials. However, based on our recent discovery of ferromagnetic liquids, which overturned this established paradigm, we propose a breakthrough liquid ME material. The basic component of this ME liquid will be ME nanoplatelets (NPs), i.e. magnetic NPs that will be hybridized with electrically polarized organics. These ME-NPs will then be dispersed in a nonconductive liquid medium, where they will be able to reorient in an external field. At volume concentrations of >10 vol.% ME-NPs multiferroic liquids will be formed and characterized by a simultaneous spontaneous polarization and magnetization without an externally applied field. A new surface-selective hybridization technology will be developed together with the synthesis of electrically polarized organics for the fabrication of the ME-NPs. The ME liquids will be realised with an all-new multiscale modelling framework; the chemical interactions and physical properties of an individual magnetic NP with organic ligands will require ab-initio calculations; and phenomenological models will account for the complex interactions between all the system phases, including the system’s interaction with external fields. The envisioned ME-liquids-enabling technologies will surpass current sensing paradigms by providing contactless and remote operation, low energy consumption, wireless signal transmission, distributed sensing and miniaturization.

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Self-organisation and chirality are common in nature. However, utilizing inherent chirality of chiral molecules to operate molecular machines or to imprint new materials properties by light may address key challenges of current technology. One possible way to assure and strengthen the chiral light-chiral material interaction is to use supramolecular systems possessing macroscopic chirality. The main aim is to design smart supramolecular chiral self-organizing materials with helix length close to the visible light wavelength; this can assure contactless control and tuning of their behaviour by direct matter-light interaction. Specifically, new chiral mesogenic materials, chiral dopants with build-in functionality, like photo-activity and luminescence, will be developed to gain the systematic knowledge on the molecular architecture – nano-organization relationship for the above mentioned photosensitive supramolecular systems. Expected outcomes of the project are not only of high fundamental interest but also very vital for the foreseen specific practical applications.

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The physical properties of many systems, ranging from naturally occurring biopolymers to artificial materials, often crucially depend on those global features that cannot be ascribed to a particular geometry or arrangement, rather to a more abstract notion: topology. The latter manifests itself in the knotted state of proteins and artificial polymers, the intertwining among DNA rings, or the topologically distinct classes of defect lines that can be found in liquid crystals. A better understanding of the interplay between a system’s topological state, its three-dimensional structure, and its overall characteristics paves the way to an improved control of relevant natural molecules or human-made materials, with remarkable impact on fundamental science as well as high-tech applications. These goals, however, can only be achieved through a multidisciplinary effort, involving a wide spectrum of expertise in a concerted manner.
The EUTOPIA COST Action will establish a collaborative platform to approach all those problems, in the study of biological and soft matter, that feature topological characteristics. In doing this, it will create a pan-European, synergistic network of researchers from different fields that will overcome geographical, economical and societal barriers, as well as those naturally surrounding traditional academic communities. The outcomes of the research carried out thanks to the EUTOPIA Action will push forward the boundaries of our current understanding of key systems, and foster the knowledge transfer of scientific findings to industry and, ultimately, to society as a whole.

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The ability to tune molecular self-organization at nano- and meso-scopic length scales with an external stimulus is the main driving force in bottom-up nanofabrication of molecular devices. Liquid crystalline materials are able to self-assemble into smart supramolecular structures with desirable functionality and physical properties. While modifying the molecular structure, such systems can become responsive towards mechanical stress, light, electric or magnetic fields. The target photochromic structures will be varied among bent-shaped, hockey-stick and rod-like molecules with chiral and non-chiral chains, reactive mesogens and macromolecular materials. The main objective is to design new smart supramolecular photosensitive self-assembling materials of two types:

1. with a stabilized Z-form aimed for memory devices design;
2. with fast response on UV irradiation can be successfully used in photonics.

This simple approach will also contribute to establishing the molecular architecture – nano-organization relationship in such supramolecular photochromic systems.

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The overall aim of this project for scientific collaboration between Czech and Polish teams is to acquire knowledge on unique self-organisation ability of liquid crystalline systems and to contribute to understanding of molecular architecture – nano-organization relation, which is of fundamental interest but also a starting point for future applications in opto-electronics and photonics.
The main specific objectives of the project are:
(I) to design and to study new low molar mass materials of various structures exhibiting the polar mesophases with ferroelectric and antiferroelectric (FLC) order over a broad temperature range (mostly PL team).
(II) to design new photosensitive liquid crystalline dopants (PD) with photosensitive moieties (mainly the azoxy-group) and to study their properties and structures under external stimulus, like electric field or/and UV irradiation by X-ray scattering, dielectric spectroscopy and electro-optics (mostly CZ team).
(III) to design binary and/or multicomponent photosensitive mixtures and composites (FLC+PD) responding the demands of specific applications in photonics and optoelectronics and to study and to tune their properties; special attention will be given to the operating temperature range of the FLC+PD composites and to appropriate value of the refractive indices suitable for technological processes (both CZ & PL teams).
(IV) to acquire a systematic information on molecular architecture – nano-organization relationship for all the above mentioned types of supramolecular photosensitive systems, which are of high fundamental interest but also as a starting point for future applications in photonics and opto-electronics (both CZ & PL teams).
Strong complementarity of the CZ & PL team members, their experience and experimental facilities as well as efficient experience in past collaborative projects should assure the success while reaching the project objectives.

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Organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures are promising candidates for a new class of materials with properties not observed for individual components. The aim of the project is to develop new approaches for nanostructured system preparation. Particular interest will be devoted to organic supramolecular structures and paramagnetic liquid crystalline compounds, preparation of ligands followed by functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles. Other nanoparticles (ferroelectric, up-converting, etc.) will be considered for mixing with liquid crystalline structures to create new types of hybrid composites. We expect distinct optical, magnetic and dielectric properties, which can be tuned by temperature and concentration changes and changed by external stimuli (magnetic or electric field).

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