Antal Jákli

Antal István Jákli
Born (1958-10-03) 3 October 1958
Szombathely, Hungary
EducationEötvös Loránd University, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Known for
Awards
  • Alfred Saupe Prize (2020)
  • Luckhurst-Samulski Prize (2010)
Scientific career
FieldsPhysics
WorkplacesKent State University
Ágnes Buka

Antal I. "Tony" Jákli (born 3 October 1958) is a Hungarian-American physicist and professor of physics and materials science at Kent State University. He is known for his work with bent-core,[1][2] flexoelectric, and ferroelectric liquid crystals.

Education and career

Jákli received a Master of Science in 1983 and a Ph.D. in 1986 in Physics from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary.[3] After postdoctoral fellowships with Alfred Saupe at Kent State University (1989–1992) and at the Max Planck Institute in Halle, Germany (1993–1995), he served as a research fellow at the Research Institute for Solid State Physics in Budapest. He was awarded a D.Sc. from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2000.

In 1999, Jákli joined the Liquid Crystal Institute (now the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute) at Kent State University as a research fellow. He was appointed assistant professor in 2004, received tenure in 2007, and was promoted to full professor in 2012.[4]

Research

Jákli's research focuses on the physical, electro-optical, and electromechanical properties of liquid crystals, particularly molecular systems with reduced symmetry. His work has significantly advanced the understanding of bent-core (or "banana-shaped") molecules, which exhibit polar and chiral phases that are absent in traditional rod-shaped liquid crystals. He is particularly recognized for his contributions to the study of "banana mania" in nematic phases and the characterization of the twist-bend nematic phase.[5]

His research also encompasses flexoelectricity—the coupling between polarization and strain—where he demonstrated "giant" flexoelectric effects in bent-core systems.[6] Since the emergence of the field in 2020, Jákli's research has extensively focused on ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals.[7][8] In 2024, his team reported the first demonstration of converse piezoelectricity in three-dimensional fluids using these materials, a discovery termed "liquid piezoelectricity" with potential applications in soft robotics and sensors.[9]

Additionally, he has developed responsive materials including ionic liquid crystal elastomers (iLCEs) and electrospun fibers for use in soft actuators.[10] His interdisciplinary work also extends to biotechnology, where he has utilized thermotropic liquid crystal films as label-free biosensors for the detection of antigens and enzymatic activity.[11]

Selected publications

  • Jákli, A.; Lavrentovich, O. D.; Selinger, J. V. (2018). "Physics of liquid crystals of bent-shaped molecules". Reviews of Modern Physics. 90 (4) 045004. doi:10.1103/RevModPhys.90.045004.
  • Jákli, A.; Saupe, A. (2006). One- and Two-Dimensional Fluids: Properties of Smectic, Lamellar and Columnar Liquid Crystals. CRC Press. doi:10.1201/9781420012200. ISBN 978-0-7503-0969-1.
  • Popov, P.; Mann, E. K.; Jákli, A. (2017). "Thermotropic liquid crystal films for biosensors and beyond". Journal of Materials Chemistry B. 5 (26): 5061–5078. doi:10.1039/C7TB00809K.
  • Borshch, V.; Kim, Y.K.; Xiang, J.; Gao, M.; Jákli, A. (2013). "Nematic twist-bend phase with nanoscale modulation of molecular orientation". Nature Communications. 4 (2635): 1–8. arXiv:1309.1452. doi:10.1038/ncomms3635. PMID 24189583.
  • Harden, J.; Mbanga, B.; Éber, N.; Fodor-Csorba, K.; Sprunt, S.; Gleeson, J. T.; Jákli, A. (2006). "Giant Flexoelectricity of Bent-Core Nematic Liquid Crystals". Physical Review Letters. 97 (15) 157802. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.157802.

Awards

  • Alfred Saupe Prize (2020), awarded by the German Liquid Crystal Society.[12]
  • Luckhurst-Samulski Prize (2010), for the paper "Electro-mechanical effects in liquid crystals" published in the journal Liquid Crystals.[13]
  • Outstanding Research Scholar of Kent State University (2012)
  • Bólyai Young Researchers Scholar (1998–1999), Hungarian Academy of Sciences

References

  1. ↑ Jákli, A.; Krüerke, D.; Sawade, H.; Heppke, G. (2001). "Evidence for Triclinic Symmetry in Smectic Liquid Crystals of Bent-Shape Molecules". Phys. Rev. Lett. 86 (25): 5715–5718. Bibcode:2001PhRvL..86.5715J. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.86.5715. PMID 11415340. S2CID 17126162.
  2. ↑ Eremin, A.; Jákli, A. (2013). "Polar bent-shape liquid crystals – from molecular bend to layer splay and chirality". Soft Matter. 9 (3). Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC): 615–637. Bibcode:2013SMat....9..615E. doi:10.1039/c2sm26780b. ISSN 1744-683X.
  3. ↑ "Antal Jakli, Department of Chemical Physics - Faculty". Kent State University. Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  4. ↑ "Antal Jakli | Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute". www.kent.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
  5. ↑ Jákli, A.; Lavrentovich, O. D.; Selinger, J. V. (2018). "Physics of liquid crystals of bent-shaped molecules". Reviews of Modern Physics. 90 (4) 045004. doi:10.1103/RevModPhys.90.045004.
  6. ↑ Harden, J.; Mbanga, B.; Éber, N.; Fodor-Csorba, K.; Sprunt, S.; Gleeson, J. T.; Jákli, A. (2006). "Giant Flexoelectricity of Bent-Core Nematic Liquid Crystals". Physical Review Letters. 97 (15) 157802. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.157802.
  7. ↑ Feng, Chenrun; Saha, Rony; Korblova, Eva; Walba, David; Sprunt, Samuel N.; Jákli, Antal (2021). "Electrically Tunable Reflection Color of Chiral Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals". Advanced Optical Materials. 9 (22) 2101230. doi:10.1002/adom.202101230.
  8. ↑ Máthé, Marcell Tibor; Buka, Ágnes; Jákli, Antal; Salamon, Péter (2022). "Ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal thermo-motor". Physical Review E. 105 (5) L052701. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.105.L052701.
  9. ↑ Máthé, M. T.; Himel, M. S. H.; Adaka, A.; Gleeson, J. T.; Sprunt, S.; Salamon, P.; Jákli, A. (2024). "Liquid Piezoelectric Materials: Linear Electromechanical Effect in Fluid Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals". Advanced Functional Materials. 34 (18) 2314158. doi:10.1002/adfm.202314158.
  10. ↑ Feng, C.; Rajapaksha, C. P. H.; Cedillo, J. M.; Lioi, S. M.; Pelter, L. S.; Gleeson, J. T.; Sprunt, S.; Jákli, A. (2019). "Electroresponsive Ionic Liquid Crystal Elastomers". Macromolecular Rapid Communications. 40 (19) 1900299. doi:10.1002/marc.201900299.
  11. ↑ Popov, P.; Honaker, L. W.; Kooijman, E. E.; Mann, E. K.; Jákli, A. I. (2016). "A liquid crystal biosensor for specific detection of antigens". Sensing and Bio-Sensing Research. 8: 31–35. doi:10.1016/j.sbsr.2016.03.003.
  12. ↑ "Antal Jákli to Receive the Alfred Saupe Prize in 2020". Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "The 2010 Luckhurst–Samulski Prize". Liquid Crystals. 38 (3): 253–254. 2011. doi:10.1080/02678292.2011.565208.
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