History

From carrots to flat TV screens
A historical exhibition of the liquid crystal research from the 19^th century until today
(detailed article in german)

The exhibition was designed by Horst Stegemeyer (Paderborn) and Ludwig Pohl (Darmstadt) and is now placed at Otto Lehmann's former workplace at the Physical Institute of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
Based on information charts and vitrines with historical exhibits the history of liquid crystal research is displayed. The exhibition starts with Reinitzer's experiments on carrot ingredients in 1888, via Otto Lehmann's pioneering work, over the first pictorial representation of alphanumeric signs until today's technology of the large TV screens.
The exhibition is accessible for visitors in the foyer of the Otto Lehmann Auditory in the Institute of Physics of the KIT (Building 30.22, Physik-Flachbau, ground floor), Wolfgang-Gaede-Straße 1, D-70131 Karlsruhe.
Hours of opening: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.
Map
"Phasenumwandlungen in Flüssigkristallen ("Phase Transitions in Liquid Crystals")
Historic film (original version 1958, Horst Sackmann/Heinrich Arnold, Halle)
Prof. Gerhard Pelzl, Halle, found the old film reel, Dr. Karl Hiltrop, Paderborn, produced a DVD copy, Prof. Heinrich Arnold (first PhD student of Prof. Sackmann und film author), Ilmenau, managed the new sound recording in German.
Didactically informative and insightful polarising microscopical pictures of cooling and heating sequences of mixtures and contact preparations of 4,4'-Di-n-Octyloxy- und 4,4'-Di-n-Dodecyloxy-Azoxybenzen are shown.