The patent considers a new method for alignment of liquid crystals via polymeric ribbons that are oriented in direction perpendicular to the glass substrates. The ribbons are fabricated by direct laser writing process based on two-photon polymerization. This method provides micro-structured liquid crystal alignment in practically oblique configurations, which opens up several possibilities for application in liquid crystalline optical modulators and spatial light filters, microfluidic units based on liquid crystals, etc.
F.32 International patent
COBISS.SI-ID: 2864740The research group Light and Matter is firmly interconnected with Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Ljubljana and Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor. Members of the group were mentors for diploma theses (7), master's theses (7) and doctoral dissertations (4) on the field of optics and applications of optical methods. Our contribution is very relevant for local development as more than half of our alumni found employment in the industry. We wrote several textbooks and lecture notes for different levels of education. These publications are indispensable in dissemination of knowledge and establishment of Slovenian terminology on the field of optics. Members of the group covered all optical courses on the Faculty of mathematics and physics for first, second and third cycle degrees and thus play a crucial role in education of promising and employable physicists. This is especially relevant as there are several high-tech optical companies in Slovenia.
D.10 Educational activities
COBISS.SI-ID: 29239079The programme group organized international symposium for about 60 researchers from research institutes, universities and industry. The conference topics covered recent research trends in interaction between light and matter such as optical linear and nonlinear effects in solid and soft matter, development of lasers, and biomedical optics.
B.01 Organiser of a scientific meeting
More than four decades ago french scientists, Françoise Brochard and Pierre-Gilles de Gennes proposed that colloidal suspensions of ferromagnetic particles in nematic liquid crystals could form macroscopic ferromagnetic phases at room temperature. The experimental realization of these predicted phases has hitherto proved elusive. Darja Lisjak and coworkers developed advanced synthesis of barium hexaferrite magnetic nanoplatelets. Stable suspensions were produced using appropriate surface treatment to achieve electrosteric stabilization. Alenka Mertelj found that quenching form isotropic to nematic phase is the key step in preparation of stable liquid-crystallline suspension. In that case the deformation of liquid crystal orientation around the platelets stabilizes the suspension. This discovery was published in the journal Nature. In the paper beside understanding of the stability, it was also shown that the system has the standard properties of a ferromagnet: the system shows hysteretic behaviour, magnetization reversal in a flipped external field, and domain walls and domain wall motion.
E.01 National awards
We have developed a unique system for quantitative characterization of mass diffusion and biochemical decomposition of hemoglobin in traumatic bruises in vivo. The method is based on noncontact measurements of laser-induced heat diffusion by pulsed photothermal radiometry, analyzed using a numerical model of light transport in human skin and high-dimensional optimization (inverse Monte Carlo). The achievement represents a basis for future determination of the time of injury in forensic medicine. In addition to two papers in scientific journals, it was discussed in four presentations at international scientific meetings and one invited talk at a COST workshop
F.21 Development of new health/diagnostic methods/procedures
COBISS.SI-ID: 28243495