Metal aesthetics of metallic jewelry. Some metals have specialized uses; mercury is a liquid at room temperature and is used in switches to complete a circuit when it flows over the switch contacts. Radioactive metals such as uranium and plutonium are used in nuclear power plants to produce energy via nuclear fission. Shape memory alloys are used for applications such as pipes, fasteners and vascular stents. Metals can be doped with foreign molecules—organic, inorganic, biological and polymers. This doping entails the metal with new properties that are induced by the guest molecules. Applications in catalysis, medicine, electrochemical cells, corrosion and more
Liquid crystal Rod-shaped molecules have an elongated, anisotropic geometry which allows for preferential alignment along one spatial direction. • The molecular shape should be relatively thin, flat or bowl-like, especially within rigid molecular frameworks. • The molecular length should be at least 1.3 nm, consistent with the presence of long alkyl group on many room-temperature liquid crystals. • The structure should not be branched or angular, except for the bowlics. • A low melting point is preferable in order to avoid metastable, monotropic liquid crystalline phases. Low-temperature mesomorphic behavior in general is technologically more useful, and alkyl terminal groups promote this. An