In 1888, a botanist observed crystals melt in two stages and opened the door to LCD screens

In our digital lives, it is easy to forget about the technology in our smooth smartphones, TVs, and flat screens. The foundation of liquid crystal display technology began with an accidental observation in 1888. It didn't begin in an electronics laboratory with high-tech equipment; however, It began when Austrian botanist Friedrich Reinitzer noticed a chemical sample exhibiting unusual behavior.Reinitzer did not intend to create television screens. Reinitzer was just studying a cholesterol-derived compound called cholesteryl benzoate. As he tried to figure out the exact melting point of the compound, he noticed something that did not fit the usual idea of melting. Instead of changing directly from a solid into a clear liquid, it appeared to melt in two stages. It initially changed into a weird dark liquid that, later, when it reached an elevated temperature, suddenly cleared. This modest laboratory experiment would eventually change the way that we engage with technological advances.The double melting point has confused scientistsAt the time, this behaviour did not fit the simple idea of a crystal melting directly into a liquid. The idea behind a solid crystal was that it would melt and then transform into a liquid. Based on teaching materials released from the University of Houston, Reinitzer realized the effect was not a heating error but a repeatable property of the material that this wasn't an error in the heating procedure, but rather an actual, repeatable nature of the matter.For answers, Reinitzer shared his findings with Otto Lehmann, a German physicist who was adept at studying crystals through microscopes. Lehmann discovered that the cloudy liquid flowed like a liquid but showed crystal-like order under a microscope; that is, it flowed like a liquid but retained the internal structure of a solid. In a historic review published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, Lehmann officially identified this new state and Lehmann later used the term ‘liquid crystals’ for materials that flowed like liquids but behaved optically like crystals. The delay between observations and designation shows the need for time in science to create new categories for objects that defy conventional guidelines. Long journey towards electronic consumer productsIn the past, they remained only a curiosity for academics. They were an intriguing problem for physicists as well as chemists; however, they were of no use in real life. A breakthrough was made when researchers discovered they could respond to an electric field. Because liquid crystals maintain the semi-solid state, an electric field can change how their molecules align, altering how light passes through and alter the way light passes through the material.The evolution from a laboratory idea to a product that was marketed to the market was slow. The timeline of the history published by the Royal Society of Chemistry reveals that the very first model of a liquid crystal display called LCD first appeared in the 1960s. Nearly eighty years after Reinitzer’s initial observation, the technology finally found practical use in early liquid crystal displays. It required a worldwide network of researchers to find out the best way to control how liquid crystals blocked or transmitted light and produce the high-resolution images we rely on today.The reason an accident-related discovery is still relevant todayNowadays, liquid crystals have become a crucial aspect of daily life. They allow our electronics to be smaller, lighter, and more energy efficient than televisions that were bulky and used earlier. The tale about Reinitzer and his double-melting crystal is a perfect example of how fundamental research can be carried out. Revolutions in technology rarely begin by establishing a strategy for the development of a product that can be sold. In reality, they usually start when a shrewd scientist is unable to overlook an oddity.The 2024 review of science published in Polymers declares that liquid crystals were initially identified by Reinitzer when he was conducting an everyday laboratory test of cholesteryl benzoate. This history ties a multi-billion-dollar display industry to a single carefully observed laboratory oddity. In observing the chemical’s unexpected behaviour, Reinitzer discovered a middle ground of matter which sat in between flow and order. The result of his curiosity was that it paved the way for the electronic displays that are now connecting the contemporary world.