Spotlights

Proposed ultrasonic liquid crystal light diffuser
Schematics of the LC molecular orientation and the transmitted light in the absence (left) and in the presence (right) of the ultrasound excitation. Red and blue curves represent the light and the ultrasound vibration, respectively .

Professor Daisuke Koyama and graduate students, Yuma Kuroda and Ryoya Mizuno, from the Faculty of Science and Engineering developed a novel tunable ultrasonic liquid crystal light diffuser that allows changing the diffusion direction.

In conventional light diffusers, optical characteristics such as diffusion angle and direction can only be tailored during fabrication and not after installation. Light diffusers that allow such changes can save energy and provide better indoor lighting aesthetics, but such devices are rare. In a new study, they have developed a novel tunable ultrasonic liquid crystal diffuser, that allows changing the diffusion direction using electrical inputs, while having a compact structure with no moving parts.

Reference
Kuroda, Y., Mizuno, R. & Koyama, D. Ultrasonic liquid crystal tunable light diffuser. Sci Rep 14, 15445 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-66413-2

This achievement has also been featured in the “EurekAlert!.”
NEWS RELEASE 26-JUL-2024, Towards Next-Gen Indoor Lighting: Novel Tunable Ultrasonic Liquid Crystal Light Diffuser

Image Credit: Daisuke Koyama from Doshisha University
License type: Original content