Marie Curie Actions: Inspiring Researchers - Imdea

A clear visionWhen Valery Kozhevnikov from Ural State Technical Universityin Yekaterinburg joined forces with Professor Duncan Bruce’steam at the University of York for the Heterolics project, theyoung chemist admits he ‘knew nothing about liquid crystal’.Similarly, Professor Bruce’s Liquid Crystal Group had not workedwith light-emitting materials before the project, although theywere intrigued by their potential. Together, they set out to createa new generation of liquid crystalline materials which mighthelp to advance the current state of the art in organic lightemittingdiodes (OLEDs), one of the latest trends in moderndisplay technology.OLED technology translates into outstanding display qualitywith low power consumption. Like many of his colleagues,Dr Kozhevnikov believes that OLEDs may even replaceliquid crystal displays one day. So, what if the combinationof the Russian researcher’s expertise in organic chemistryand luminescent metal complexes, together with the Britishteam’s know-how in the fi eld of liquid crystals could take thesebenefi ts even further?A bright future aheadThis unique blend of knowledge and skills has opened upexciting possibilities. The Heterolics research was published inAngewandte Chemie, ‘one of the best journals in chemistry’,Dr Kozhevnikov says proudly. Perhaps even more importantly,though, is the fact that the group has applied for a patent forone of the materials developed as part of the Marie CurieFellowship. Many questions remain unanswered and the materialstill requires more study, Dr Kozhevnikov concedes, ‘but it wasenough to convince our patenting people’.And naturally, the extensive links between Russia’s Ural StateTechnical University and the UK’s York University have not beensevered just because the fellowship has come to an end. ‘Youmight think that unless I return to my home university, there won’tbe any collaboration, but you would be mistaken,’ emphasisesDr Kozhevnikov, who has been offered a position as a lecturerat the Northumbria University in the UK as a result of the MarieCurie Fellowship. ‘My contacts facilitate the collaborationbetween our universities.’ Dr Kozhevnikov is confi dent thatMarie Curie marked the beginning of a collaboration that willcontinue to bear fruit in the future.Typical texture of liquid crystalline phases observed under a polarised microscope – many more beautiful patterns have been observedduring the fellowship.33