Hosting the 28th International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC2022) held at the NOVA School of Science and Technology of the NOVA University Lisbon, on Campus da Caparica, between 24 and 29 July 2022, was a great pleasure for the Local Organizers.
ILCC2020 was the first, in the long history of the conference since 1965, to be postponed from 2020 to 2022 due to the pandemic, and the first conference of the series to be held in a hybrid format.
The scientific presentations took place in 5 parallel sessions in person and online. Due to the time difference and to allow participants worldwide to watch all the lectures, these were recorded and made available online for 24 hours.
The poster sessions were organized online, but the possibility of presenting the posters onsite was also given to the participants.
As in the preceding conferences, the 28th ILCC provided a broad forum for exchanging information on liquid crystals among the field’s most well-known scientists and engineers.
ILCC2022 had a total of 640 participants from 43 countries. The scientific program consisted of 280 oral presentations, which included five plenary sessions, six tutorials, 57 guest speakers, two public lectures, other oral contributions, and 348 posters.
As part of the Conference, an exhibition dedicated to Liquid Crystals was also inaugurated on the 24th of July in the Library of the NOVA School of Science and Technology. This exhibition featured photos of liquid crystals selected by the International Society of Liquid Crystals between 2018 and 2022. The exhibition demonstrated how the liquid crystal community stayed alive and active in the domain during the pandemic.
This meeting was only possible due to the commitment of many people, including the participants, Scientific Committee members, and Organizing Committee members. Their scientific contribution and support are acknowledged. A sincere acknowledgment is also due to various organizations and companies for financial support.
These proceedings include experimental and theoretical aspects of the chemistry, physics, and application of liquid crystals, representing the conference’s wide range of topics, which include Liquid crystals in Biology and Active Matter, Macromolecular Liquid Crystals, Confined Liquid Crystals, Design and New Materials, Mathematical Modelling, Symmetry and Topology and Novel Applications.
A special acknowledgment is due to the authors that submitted their work for inclusion in these proceedings and the scientists that contributed by refereeing the manuscripts. We are pleased to announce that the next conference will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2024.
MH Godinho, SN Fernandes and PL Almeida
Lisbon, September 2023