TABLE OF CONTENTS What do liquid crystals, laptops and life have in common, besides that they all begin with the letter l ? At first glance, the answer might well be not much. Rather surprisingly, they have a great deal in common. Liquid crystals are essential to life and are used in many practical devices that simplify and reduce the physical labor of our lives. Liquid crystals are also a medium that artists use to enrich our lives. The same technology that helped bolster the semiconductor industry has also helped advance the liquid crystal industry.
Liquid crystals are also an essential component of our bodies. Every cell membrane in every living organism is in a liquid crystalline state, the breakdown of this liquid crystalline structure can lead to many diseases. An understanding of the relationship between liquid crystals and diseases may help in finding new medicines and treatments for these diseases.
There is also a less critical, though more easily noticed connection between liquid crystals and our daily lives. In the course of a typical day, we encounter many different kinds of information displays. One of the more ubiquitous is the liquid crystal display that is common in such low tech applications as watches, clocks, radios, and household appliances, as well as high tech cell phones, automobiles, laptop computers, and electronic instruments. Liquid crystals also suffuse our lives in a less techie manner. They are common in simple toys such as mood rings and they are being incorporated into many works of...
