Smectic ordering in aqueous solutions of monodisperse stiff double-stranded DNA fragments is known not to occur, despite the fact that these systems exhibit both chiral nematic and columnar mesophases ...

A thin elastic sheet lying on a soft substrate develops wrinkled patterns when subject to an external forcing or as a result of geometric incompatibility. Thin sheet elasticity and substrate response ...

A new paper has been published on the unusual microstructure of smectics -- liquid crystals whose molecules are arranged in layers and form ellipses and hyperbolas -- and their similarity to ...

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed "smart glass" that can switch back and forth between transparency and opaqueness while barely using any energy at all. It's a trick that's ...