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This part of the exhibit exposes the visitor to current nanotechnology
research with a heat-sensitive liquid
crystal sensor that the visitor can control. At the touch of a button,
a hair dryer heats the sensor, and the monitor displays the change, as seen under
the microscope. In this way, the visitor is able to view, in real time, the
liquid crystal sensing heat.(Liquid crystal samples were
generously provided by the Nicholas Abbott research group.)
The accompanying text teaches the visitor about the mechanism by which
liquid crystals sense various stimuli. The visitor can also read about
how light and wavelength affect the
nanoscale (i.e. why nanoscale objects can't be seen with the naked eye).
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This panel of the exhibit features applications of liquid crystals. The
visitor learns about three different stimuli to which liquid crystals are
sensitive (heat, chemicals, and electric fields). The visitor can choose
a stimulus and, at the push of a button, the application(s) corresponding to that
that stimulus lights up. The visitor can also interact with the exhibit by
placing
his or her hand on a sheet of liquid crystals and observing the color change
from body heat. The bottom panel teaches the visitor basic facts
about liquid crystals, including what type of molecules they are made
of. |