Organic ferroelectric thin films combine ferroelectric functionality with the key advantages of organic materials. This makes them highly attractive for next-generation electronic and electromechanical elements in devices that are flexible, lightweight, and manufacturable at low cost, in strong contrast with the rigid silicon-based technology. The research program of the doctoral candidate will be focused on investigations of mesogenic organic molecules forming bulk polar liquid crystalline phases, in particular ferroelectric Smectic A liquid crystalline phase, under interfacial confinement, with emphasis on Langmuir and Langmuir–Blodgett thin films. While studied in bulk, the behavior of such molecules in two-dimensional and ultrathin geometries remains largely unexplored. The project will address stability of polar SmA phase order under 2D confinement, interplay between polar interactions and reduced dimensionality, field-induced switching in nanometre-scale layered structures, etc. The work will be based on preparation and characterization of mono- and multi-layered LB films, including analysis of their electrostatic and nonlinear optical properties. Applicants should have a strong background in physics (soft matter, thin films, linear and nonlinear optics) and interest in symmetry breaking, collective phenomena, and interfacial systems.
Prof. Dr. Irena Drevenšek Olenik
Irena DREVENŠEK OLENIK is a professor of physics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Ljubljana and a senior research fellow at the Department of Complex Matter at J. Stefan Institute in Ljubljana. Her research expertise lies in the fields of optics and soft matter physics. In addition to research and teaching, she is involved in various activities for the popularization of science in public.
Research programme: Light and matter
Training topic: Soft matter physics