Rafaela R. da Rosa, featured ILCC liquid crystal artist, May 2018
She works with organic synthesis using Isoxazolines and Isoxazoles as a template for preparation of new liquid crystalline compounds. During her Master's she synthesized a collection of new isoxazoles showing high ordered smectic phases. In her current Ph.D. project she is preparing new bent-core liquid crystals composed of Isoxazoline and Isoxazole rings in collaboration with the undergraduate student Caroline S. B. Weber.
Her main focus is design and synthesize new polar smectic liquid crystals and evaluate the influence of the heterocycle rings in the mesomorphic behavior of new banana LC. The picture shows the B7 phase of one of these brand new compounds prepared by Weber containing the Isoxazole ring, which is going to be presented at ILCC 2018. The sample was analyzed by PLOM using 50x of magnification at 220°C after slow cooling from the isotropic phase in a 3um planar align cell with anti-parallel rubbing. The scale bar is shown in the picture.
e-mail address: rafaela.raupp(at)ufrgs.br
Rafaela Raupp da Rosa CV
Research Gate profile
Jury comment: The artwork is a marvellous composition of fine intricate textural elements with very rich contrast.