Knotty LCD problems solved by silica Möbius strip

By reorienting substances like this, the researchers hope to understand how their intricate configurations and unique properties can be harnessed.

Liquid crystal possesses light-modulating properties and is used in products ranging from flat panel displays on computers, TVs and smartphones.

It is composed of long, thin, rod-like molecules that align themselves to point in the same direction, but controlling the alignment of these molecules can result in an entirely different orientation.

To do this, the Warwick team simulated adding a micron sized silica particle (or colloid, a substance dispersed through a material) to the liquid crystal, which disrupts the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules. A colloid in the shape of a sphere, for example, will cause the liquid crystal molecules to align perpendicular to the surface of the sphere.

Using a theoretical model, the Warwick University scientists have taken this principle and extended it to colloids which have a knotted shape in the form a Möbius strip.