Panagiota Karahaliou

June 30th, 2011

Date of Birth: 28th November 1976

Current Position: Lecturer (fixed term), Department of Materials Science, University of Patras, Greece

Lecturer (elected), Department of Physics, University of Patras, Greece

Tel: +30 2610 969350

Fax: +30 2610 999368

E-mail: pkara@upatras.gr

Nationality: Greek

 

Education, research and academic employment

11/1998: Diploma in Physics, University of Patras.

10/2000 M.Sc. in Polymers Science and Technology, Interdepartmental program of postgraduate studies (Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering), University of Patras, Greece.

M.Sc. Thesis: The influence of molecular structure and flexibility on the ferroelectricity of liquid crystals: Inversion phenomena.

11-12/2000: Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia: Research activity within the project Induced chirality in ferroelectric and antiferroelecteric liquid crystals, Greece-Slovenia scientific and technological cooperation/General Secretariat of research and technology of Greece.

09-12/2001: Department of Applied Physics II, University of the Basque country, Bilbao, Spain: Research activity within the project “Molecular Design of Functional Liquid Crystals – EC Training and Mobility of Researchers Network, Contract No. FMRX CT97 0121”.

09-10/2002: Department of Chemistry, University of Southampton, UK: Research activity within the project “Molecular Design of Functional Liquid Crystals – EC Training and Mobility of Researchers Network, Contract No. FMRX CT97 0121”.

05-10/2003: Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, UK: Marie Curie research fellowship within the project “Design, synthesis and structure-properties relationships of liquid crystals-MC Training Site Project HPMT-CT2001-00322”.

02/2004: PhD in Polymers Science and Technology, Interdepartmental program of postgraduate studies (Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering), University of Patras, Greece.

PhD Thesis: Dielectric response of nematic LC dimers: Experimental study and molecular theory.

03/2004-12/2007: Post-doctoral researcher, Department of Materials Science, University of Patras, Greece. Research fellowship within the project “Theory and computer simulations of supermolecular materials and devices” European Social Fund (ESF)/Greek Ministry of National Education programme “Pythagoras I”.

03/2007- Lecturer (fixed term), Department of Materials Science, University of Patras, Greece.

03/2010 Lecturer (elected), Department of Physics, University of Patras, Greece.

 

Research Interests

  • Structural, electrooptical and physicochemical characterization of liquid crystalline monomers, dimers and oligomers.
  • Molecular self-assembly and self-organisation of liquid crystalline materials.
  • Biaxial Nematics for device applications: symmetries, alignment, molecular organization, electrooptic response, phase transitions.
  • Ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystals.
  • AC and transient conductivity of porous materials for microelectronic applications.
  • Electrical and physicochemical properties of polymeric materials and polymer matrix composites.
  • Dielectric response of nanopowders.

Experimental studies by means of:

  • Broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS).
  • DC and Transient conductivity measurements.
  • Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
  • Polarizing optical microscopy (POM).
  • Electrooptic measurements.
  • X-rays diffraction (XRD).

Theoretical studies by means of:

  • Phenomenological theories
  • Molecular theories
  • Molecular modeling

 

Ongoing research projects

  • BIND (Biaxial Nematic Devices) -216025 (FP7 / ICT-1-3.2 / STREP-CP-FP-INFSO)-Collaborative Project, EC (2/2008-1/2012).

Coordinator: D.J. Photinos, Department of Materials Science, University of Patras, Greece.

  • Dendreamers—Functional Liquid Crystalline dendrimers: Synthesis of New Materials, Resource for New Applications – 215884 (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-1-1-ITN, Marie Curie Actions—Networks for Initial Training (ITN)) (10/2008-9/2012).

Coordinator: J. L. Serrano, Universidad de Zaragoza.

  • Nanogold—Self-Organized Nanomaterials for Tailored Optical and Electrical Properties–228455 (FP7-NMP-2008-SMALL-2)-Collaborative Project (2009-2013).

Coordinator: T. Scharf, Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne.

 

Participation in previously funded research projects

10/1998 – 10/2000 K. Karatheodori, University of Patras: Study of the dielectric response and of the spontaneous polarization of ferroelectric liquid crystals.

Scientist in charge: Ch. Krontiras, University of Patras.

2000-2001 Greece-Slovenia scientific and technological cooperation, General Secretariat of research and technology of Greece.

Induced chirality in ferroelectric and antiferroelecteric liquid crystals.

Scientist in charge: D.J. Photinos, University of Patras.

2/1999-7/2001 PENED 99, General Secretariat of research and technology of Greece.

Study of nano-structured particles in liquid crystals and polymeric melts.

Scientist in charge: K.Politis, University of Patras.

9/2001-10/2002 Molecular Design of Functional Liquid CrystalsEC Training and Mobility of Researchers Network, Contract No. FMRX CT97 0121, EC.

Coordinator: Prof. D.A. Dunmur, Department of Chemistry, University of Southampton, UK.

5/2003-11/2003 Design, synthesis and structure-properties relationships of liquid crystals-MC Training Site Project HPMT-CT2001-00322, EC, Marie Curie fellowship.

Coordinator: Dr. Georg Mehl, Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, UK.

1/3/2004-31/12/2007 “Pythagoras I”, European Social Fund (ESF)/Greek Ministry of National Education programme.

Theory and computer simulations of supermolecular materials and devices

Scientist in charge: D.J. Photinos, University of Patras.

 

Scholarships, awards and fellowships

  • Marie Curie fellowship «Design, synthesis and structure-properties relationships of liquid crystals-MC Training Site Project HPMT-CT2001-00322».
  • Best performance scholarship by the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) (1998-1999).
  • K. Karatheodori scholarship (University of Patras) Study of the dielectric response and of the spontaneous polarization of ferroelectric liquid crystals.
  • PENED 99 scholarship (General Secretariat of research and technology of Greece) Study of nano-structured particles in liquid crystals and polymeric melts.
  • “Polymer Science and Technology” post-graduate programe scholarship.

 

Selected publications

[12] Dielectric relaxation phenomena and dynamics in Polyoxymethylene/polyurethane/alumina hybrid Nanocomposites,

G. C. Psarras, S. Siengchin, P. K. Karahaliou, S. N. Georga, C. A. Krontiras, J. Karger-Kocsis, In press Polymer International .

[11] Symmetries and alignment of biaxial nematic liquid crystals,

P. K. Karahaliou, A. G. Vanakaras and D. J. Photinos, JCP, 131, 124516 (2009).

[10] Biaxial nematics: symmetries, order domains and field-induced phase transitions, [Invited Article]

S. D. Peroukidis, P. K. Karahaliou, A.G. Vanakaras and D. J. Photinos, Liq. Cryst., 36, 727 (2009).

[9] Dielectric relaxation processes in epoxy resin—ZnO composites,

A. Soulintzis, G. Kontos, P. Karahaliou, G. C. Psarras, S. N. Georga, C. A. Krontiras, J. Polym. Sci. Part B : Polym. Phys., 47, 445 (2009).

[8] Long and short – range order in the mesophases of laterally substituted calamitic mesogens and their radial octapodes,

P. K. Karahaliou, P. H. J. Kouwer, T. Meyer, G. H. Mehl and D. J. Photinos, J. Phys. Chem. B, 112, 6550 (2008).

[7] Relaxation phenomena in rubber/layered silicate nanocomposites, G. C. Psarras, K. G. Gatos, P. K. Karahaliou, S. N. Georga, C. A. Krontiras, J. Karger-Kocsis, eXPRESS Polymer Letters, 1 (12), 837 (2007).

[6] Electrical relaxation dynamics in TiO2 – polymer matrix composites,

G. A. Kontos, A. L. Soulintzis, P. K. Karahaliou, G. C. Psarras, S. N. Georga, C. A. Krontiras, M. N. Pisanias, eXPRESS Polymer Letters, 1 (12), 781 (2007).

[5] Columnar phase structures of an organic-inorganic hybrid functionalized with eight calamitic mesogens,

P. K. Karahaliou, P. H. J. Kouwer, T. Meyer, G. H. Mehl and D. J. Photinos, Soft Matter, 3, 857 (2007).

[4] On the molecular theory of dimeric liquid crystals, [Invited Article]

P. K. Karahaliou, A. G. Vanakaras and D. J. Photinos, Liq. Cryst.,32 (11-12), 1397 (2005).

[3] Transient and AC electrical transport under forward and reverse bias conditions in aluminum/porous silicon/p-cSi structures,

M.Theodoropoulou, P. K. Karahaliou, C.A Krontiras, S. N.Georga, N.Xanthopoulos, M. N. Pisanias, C. Tsamis and A. G. Nassiopoulou, J. Appl. Phys., 96, 7637 (2004).

[2] Dielectric studies of a laterally-linked siloxane ester dimer,

S. Diez, D.A. Dunmur, M. R. De La Fuente, P. K. Karahaliou, G. Mehl, T. Meyer, M. Α. Peréz Jubindo and D. J. Photinos, Liq. Cryst., 30 (9), 1021 (2003).

[1] Tilt order parameters, polarity and inversion phenomena in smectic liquid crystals,

P. K. Karahaliou, A. G. Vanakaras and D.J. Photinos, Phys. Rev. E, 65, 031712 (2002).

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