How Do Liquid Crystals Work?

The discovery of liquid crystals brought a new phase of matter into existence within the scientific world. According to Case Western Reserve University, the discovery came about through an experiment conducted in 1888 by Friedrich Reinitzer, an Austrian botanist. By heating a material called cholesteryl benzoate, Reinitzer observed that the material melted in two distinct phases. The first phase produced a cloudy liquid. Further heating caused the cloudy liquid to become clear. As a result, this new liquid-solid material--now known as liquid crystals--became known as a new form of matter



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