The investigation on novel optical materials with unprecedented optical properties is of paramount importance for the development of advanced applications in many fields having a strong impact on our everyday lives such as biomedicine, food and agriculture security, optical communication and information technology, etc. Moreover, the interaction of light with matter in the past decades has allowed the quick growth of new disciplines such as biophotonics, covering all aspects of this interaction with biological materials; nanophotonics, investigating the optical behavior of nanostructures; opto-mechanics, going from optical manipulation of small objects to optical control of micro- and nano-robots.This book comprises timely contributions from active research groups covering several classes of materials and processes including nano-structured plasmonic and photonic materials, 2-D materials, photo-polymers, liquid crystals, photo-sensitive and opto-thermal, and other specially engineered materials.Novel Optical Materials will serve as a useful reference for researchers, engineers, and optical and materials scientists in both industry and academia. It is also an excellent supplement and reference for graduate courses in materials science, physics, and optical engineering.

This is a monograph/text devoted to a detailed treatment of the optical, electro-optical and nonlinear optical properties of all the mesophases of liquid crystals and related processes, phenomena and applications principles. Quantitative data on material and optical parameters spanning the ultraviolet, visible, infrared as well as the microwave regimes are presented along with detailed theoretical treatments of basic liquid crystal physics, material properties and nonlinear optics. Starting with a discussion on the basic building blocks of liquid crystalline molecules, the authors proceed to present in a pedagogical manner current theories, experiments, and applications of these unique and important optical properties of liquid crystals. Numerous tables of hard-to-find liquid crystalline parameters, a self-contained chapter on general nonlinear optics, and comprehensive literature review are also included.