Abstract

In this presentation, I will talk about the recent work in our lab. Two main topics will be focused. One is academic oriented study of photonic liquid crystal (BPLC), another is the startup development of LC smart window. Blue phase (BP) liquid crystals (LC) are soft 3D photonic crystals with extraordinary tunability, electro-optic properties, as well as optical nonlinearities. Recently, we have succeeded in developing a gradient temperature scanning technique to grow such 3D photonic crystals into mm2–cm2 in areal size and submillimeter in thickness. Besides, we propose a method to fabricate non-cubic BPLCs with high stability in this absence of an applied field. We also propose a macroscopic model adapted from a soft matter mechanical model to correlate the crystal structure with fabrication parameters. Another part is the development of LC smart window. Smart windows are revolutionary technologies that can be used to enhance the functionality of windows. These windows have the ability to dynamically control daylighting, climate and/or privacy. However, in order to achieve true energy conservation and versatility, it is highly desirable but challenging to design a single device capable of simultaneously modifying haze and tint as well as exhibiting multi-stability. We have developed a variety of smart window technologies and moved toward a new startup.

Biography

Dr. Tsung-Hsien Lin received B.S./M.S. degree in Physics and Ph.D. degree in Electro-Optics from National Cheng Kung University (Taiwan). Prof. Lin is currently a distinguished Professor and Chairman in the Department of Photonics, National Sun Yat-Sen University. Prof. Lin has received many awards, including the 15th National Innovation Award, Distinguished Innovation & Startups Award (MOST), LITE-ON Gold Innovation Award, Ta-You Wu Memorial Award (MOST), Excellent Young Scholar Award (Taiwan Comprehensive University System) and so on. The current research interests are photonic liquid crystal devices and advanced liquid crystal display. Prof. Lin has published over 80 scientific papers in international journals, including Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, Advanced Optical Materials, ACS Photonics, Optics Express and Scientific Reports.