Tridimenzionalno urejanje koloidnih struktur v kompleksnih mezofazah (Slovene)

The research project is at the cutting edge of today's colloidal science. To our knowledge, there are no other research group which could self-assemble comparable colloidal superstructures and model their organization. We address several important questions. One of them is: can we build 3D chiral nematic colloidal crystal for photonic and plasmonic applications. Further the project pushes the limits of our knowledge toward nano- and meso-scopic scales and opens technologically and fundamentally new areas of advanced optics and photonics .

The proposed research project has in this moment no direct impact on a particular company, however we expect that in future there will be optical industry or high-tech companies that could exploit and use our technological and research achievements. Currently, we expect the direct impact of our work to be primarily on the social infrastructure. In particular, on the quality of the related university-level education and on the excellence of the contributing research institutions. Indirectly the research will have a significant impact on the sustainable development of Slovenia. The past achievements of the group represent world's top scientific accomplishments in a number of fields, thus indirectly strengthening the national identity of Slovenia. Moreover, the group represents a nucleus for transferring scientific achievements to Slovenia from abroad. Furthermore, our research is essential for the organization and implementation of several undergraduate and graduate educational courses/programs. Several candidates that have completed their PhD theses within our group have been employed as highly-qualified personnel. Finally, our participation in international projects (EU) leads to active participation in the world R&D in the field of LCs. Establishment of personal and professional contacts with the top scientists and research institutions is the best way to transfer knowledge and information. Without such support a new, high-tech industry emerging in Slovenia cannot keep up the momentum and its competitiveness on the world market.