	Department of Engineering

University of Cambridge > Department of Engineering

Dr Flynn Castles

Introduction

Welcome to my website. I am a Research Associate in the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge. I work in the Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics.

I am a College Research Associate at Jesus College.

Contact Details

Group:	Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics
Division:	Electrical Engineering
E-mail:	fc252 (...at...) cam.ac.uk
Post:	CAPE Building, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
Telephone:	+44 1223 7 48309
Fax:	+44 1223 3 32662

Research

My research broadly concerns liquid crystals and their use in devices such as flat-panel displays. In particular, I am interested in flexoelectricity and liquid crystal blue phases. I welcome potential collaboration - academic or industrial - just get in touch.

Education

2006-2010	PhD, University of Cambridge, Engineering.
2009	MA, University of Cambridge.
2002-2006	BA & MSci (First Class Honours), University of Cambridge, Natural Sciences, Experimental and Theoretical Physics.

Teaching

At various points I supervise the following undergraduate physics courses in the Natural Sciences Tripos:

PtIA	Physics
PtIB	Oscillations Waves and Optics
PtIB	Quantum Physics
PtIB	Condensed Matter Physics
PtII	Thermal and Statistical Physics
PtII	Electrodynamics and Optics

Publications

Selected publications

Blue-phase templated fabrication of three-dimensional nanostructures for photonic applications,
F. Castles, F. V. Day, S. M. Morris, D-H. Ko, D. J. Gardiner, M. M. Qasim, S. Nosheen, P. J. W. Hands, S. S. Choi, R. H. Friend, and H. J. Coles,
Nature Materials (advance online publication).
Thermodynamically stable blue phases,
F. Castles, S. M. Morris, E. M. Terentjev, and H. J. Coles,
Physical Review Letters 104, 157801 (2010).
PDF [Copyright (2010) American Physical Society].
(A commentary on this paper is featured here, in the Journal Club for Condensed Matter Physics.)

All peer-reviewed journal articles

Flexoelectric coefficient measurements in the nematic liquid crystal phase of 5CB,
F. Castles, S. C. Green, D. J. Gardiner, S. M. Morris, and H. J. Coles,
AIP Advances 2, 022137 (2012).
PDF [Copyright (2012) Authors. This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.]
Blue-phase templated fabrication of three-dimensional nanostructures for photonic applications,
F. Castles, F. V. Day, S. M. Morris, D-H. Ko, D. J. Gardiner, M. M. Qasim, S. Nosheen, P. J. W. Hands, S. S. Choi, R. H. Friend, and H. J. Coles,
Nature Materials (advance online publication).
Spontaneous induction of the uniform lying helix alignment in bimesogenic liquid crystals for the flexoelectro-optic effect,
D. J. Gardiner, S. M. Morris, P. J. W. Hands, F. Castles, M. M. Qasim, W.-S. Kim, S. S. Choi, T. D. Wilkinson, and H. J. Coles,
Applied Physics Letters 100, 063501 (2012).
PDF [Copyright (2012) American Institute of Physics]. †
Flexoelectric and elastic coefficients of odd and even homologous bimesogens,
K. L. Atkinson, S. M. Morris, F. Castles, M. M. Qasim, D. J. Gardiner, and H. J. Coles,
Physical Review E 85, 012701 (2012).
PDF [Copyright (2009) American Physical Society].
Fast-switching phase gratings using in-plane addressed short-pitch polymer stabilized chiral nematic liquid crystals,
S. M. Morris, D. J. Gardiner, F. Castles, P. J. W. Hands, T. W. Wilkinson, and H. J. Coles,
Applied Physics Letters 99, 253502 (2011).
PDF [Copyright (2011) American Institute of Physics]. †
The limits of flexoelectricity in liquid crystals,
F. Castles, S. M. Morris, and H. J. Coles,
AIP Advances 1, 032120 (2011).
PDF [Copyright (2011) Authors. This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.]
Polymer stabilized chiral nematic liquid crystals for fast switching and high contrast electro-optic devices,
D. J. Gardiner, S. M. Morris, F. Castles, M. M. Qasim, W.-S. Kim, S. S. Choi, H.-J. Park, I.-J. Chung, and H. J. Coles,
Applied Physics Letters 98, 263508 (2011).
PDF [Copyright (2011) American Institute of Physics]. †
Thermodynamically stable blue phases,
F. Castles, S. M. Morris, E. M. Terentjev, and H. J. Coles,
Physical Review Letters 104, 157801 (2010).
PDF [Copyright (2010) American Physical Society].
(A commentary on this paper is featured here, in the Journal Club for Condensed Matter Physics.)
Ultra-fast-switching flexoelectric liquid-crystal display with high contrast,
F. Castles, S. M. Morris, D. J. Gardiner, Q. M. Malik, and H. J. Coles,
Journal of the Society for Information Display 18, 128 (2010).
PDF [Copyright (2010) The Society for Information Display].
Flexoelectro-optic properties of chiral nematic liquid crystals in the uniform standing helix configuration,
F. Castles, S. M. Morris, and H. J. Coles,
Physical Review E 80, 031709 (2009).
PDF [Copyright (2009) American Physical Society].
High contrast chiral nematic liquid crystal device using negative dielectric material,
S. S. Choi, F. Castles, S. M. Morris, and H. J. Coles,
Applied Physics Letters 95, 193502 (2009).
PDF [Copyright (2009) American Institute of Physics]. †

Published conference proceedings

Ultrafast switching liquid crystals for electro-optic transmissive and reflective displays and microscopic lasers,
H. J. Coles, S. M. Morris, F. Castles, P. J. W. Hands, T. D. Wilkinson, and S. S. Choi,
Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 1293, 103-01 (2011).
PDF [Copyright (2011) Materials Research Society].
Ultrafast switching liquid crystals for next-generation transmissive and reflective displays,
H. J. Coles, S. M. Morris, S. S. Choi, and F. Castles,
Proc. SPIE 7618, 761814 (2010).
PDF [Copyright (2010) SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering].
Fast-switching flexoelectric display device with high contrast,
F. Castles, S. M. Morris, and H. J. Coles,
SID Symposium Digest 40, 582 (2009).
PDF [Copyright (2009) The Society for Information Display].
A comparison of the flexoelectro-optic effect in the uniform lying helix and standing helix geometries,
S. M. Morris, F. Castles, B. J. Broughton, and H. J. Coles,
Proc. SPIE 6587, 65871I (2007).
PDF [Copyright (2007) SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering].

Miscellaneous

I write a regular article for the publication Liquid Crystals Today entitled Liquid Crystal Research Highlights. If you have any suggestions for papers to highlight, please email me.

Liquid crystal research highlights, F. Castles, Liquid Crystals Today 21, 49 (2012).
Liquid crystal research highlights, F. Castles, Liquid Crystals Today 21, 27 (2012).

† Copyright notice.
This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics.