Research fields

Our main research direction is the structure and dynamics of the liquid-crystalline state of matter. Liquid crystals constitute a distinct thermodynamic state of condensed matter, which combines the fluidity of ordinary liquids with the macroscopic anisotropy of solid crystals. They are quintessential soft matter materials and provide an excellent testing ground for the advancement of essential concepts in condensed matter science, such as self-organization, phase transitions, hydrodynamics and elasticity. Systems exhibiting liquid crystalline order range from small rod- or disc-shaped organic molecules (e.g., the ‘classic’ liquid crystals used in LCD devices), over polymers, dispersions of micelles and nanoparticles (e.g., CNTs and viruses) to certain quantum electronic materials.

We are a mainly experimental physical chemistry group with close collaborations to synthetic and theory groups. Our research aims to elucidate the relations between the molecular structures, the symmetry and order parameters of liquid crystalline ordering, and the macroscopic properties of liquid crystals. We are particular interested in the unique chirality effects in liquid-crystalline systems, leading to self-organized chiral nanostructures which mimic the liquid-crystalline structures found in biological matter (such as cholesterol-containing cell membranes or columnar DNA).