
The 5th International Online Conference on Crystals
Part of the International Online Conference on Crystals series
24–26 June 2026



Liquid Crystals, Crystal Engineering, Inorganic Crystalline Materials, Organic Crystalline Materials, Crystalline Metals and Alloys, Materials for Energy Application, Hybrid and Composite Crystalline Materials
- Go to the Sessions
- Event Details
Welcome from the Chair
This year’s conference will focus on the following topics and related themes.
Prof. Dr. Alessandra Toncelli
Department of Physics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Event Chairs

I have been an associate professor at the University of Pisa since 2017. I began my academic career in the field of growth and spectroscopic characterization of rare-earth-doped crystalline insulating materials in the visible and near-infrared regions. Then, my research interests have expanded towards the mid-infrared and THz regions. Throughout my career, I have characterized and optimized many devices and materials for various applications such as photonics, scintillation, quantum information technologies, biomedicine, etc. Recently, I have been working on developing new spectroscopy and imaging methods in the THz region for monitoring plant health, fruit and food quality and I am also working on the development of integrated photonics circuits for quantum computing applications. As of 2024, in all these research areas, I have published more than 200 papers in international peer-reviewed journals, I hold two patents, and I am accredited with an h-index of 52 in Scopus and 50 in ISI WoS.
Session Chairs

Prof. Dr. Vladimir Chigrinov
Department of Electronic, Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
Professor Vladimir G. Chigrinov is Professor of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology since 1999. He is an Expert in Flat Panel Technology in Russia, recognized by the World Technology Evaluation Centre, 1994, and SID Fellow since 2008. He is an author of 6 books, 31 reviews and book chapters, about 322 journal papers, more than 677 Conference presentations, and 121 patents and patent applications including 38 US patents in the field of liquid crystals since 1974. He got Excellent Research Award of HKUST School of Engineering in 2012. He obtained Gold Medal and The Best Award in the Invention & Innovation Awards 2014 held at the Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE) 2014, which was hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 20-22 Feb 2014. He is a Member of EU Academy of Sciences (EUAS) since July 2017. He got A Slottow Owaki Prize of SID in 2018 http://www.ee.ust.hk/ece.php/enews/detail/660. He is 2019 Distinguished Fellow of IETI (International Engineering and Technology Institute): http://www.ieti.net/news/detail.aspx?id=184 http://www.ieti.net/memberships/Fellows.aspx Since 2018, he works as Professor in the School of Physics and Optoelectronics Engineering in Foshan University, Foshan, China. 2020-2024 Vice President of Fellow of Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (IDSAI) Since 2021 distinguished Fellow of Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Since March 2022, he is A Fellow of National Academy of Technology for his contributions to Information Electrical and Electronic Research: http://www.usnat.org/fellows.html

Prof. Dr. Ferdinando Costantino
Department of Chemistry Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia, Italy
Ferdinando Costantino received the PhD in Chemistry from University of Perugia in 2005 and in 2006-2007 worked in Rennes as Post-Doc fellow. Then he moved to San Diego (CA) for a short term scholarship at UCSD. From 2010 to 2016 he was associate fellow of ICCOM-CNR institute in Florence. In 2015 he won the Nardelli prize from the Italian Crystallographic Association (AIC) as young researcher working on crystallographic methods. He is actually associate professor of inorganic chemistry and material sciences at the University of Perugia. He is member of the Italian Chemical Society (SCI) and Italian Crystallographic Association (AIC). His scientific interests are focused on the synthesis and characterization of hybrid materials based on layered materials and porous compounds based on metal phosphonates and MOFs for gas adsorption, catalysis and proton conductivity. Co-author of 110 research papers in international journals (h-index = 34) and three book chapters and of many communications at national and international congresses.
Registration
The registration for IOCC 2026 will be free of charge! The registration includes attendance to all conference sessions.
If you are registering several people under the same registration, please do not use the same email address for each person, but their individual university email addresses. Thank you for your understanding.
Please note that the submission and registration are two separate parts. Only scholars who registered can receive a link to access the conference live streaming. The deadline for registration is 19 June 2026.
Instructions for Authors
1. Deadline for abstract submission: 8 March 2026.
2. Abstract acceptance notification: 8 April 2026.
2. All abstracts should be submitted and presented in clear, publication-ready English with accurate grammar and spelling.
3. You may submit multiple abstracts. However, only one abstract will be selected for oral presentation.
4. The abstracts submitted to this conference must be original and novel, without prior publication in any journals or it will not be accepted to this conference.
1. The submitting author must ensure that all co-authors are aware of the contents of the abstract.
2. Please select only one presenter for each submission. If you would like to change the presenter after submission, please email us accordingly.
- Should include the title, authors, contact details and main research findings, as well as tables, figures and graphs where necessary.
- Size in pixel: 1080 width x 1536 height–portrait orientation.
- Size in cm: 38,1 width x 54,2 height–portrait orientation.
- Font size: ≥16.
- Examples of successful submissions can be viewed here at the following links: (1), (2), (3).
- You can use our free template to create your poster.
The poster template can be downloaded HERE. We will reach out to you closer to the dates of the conference with more information.
It is the author's responsibility to identify and declare any personal circumstances or interests that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of clinical research. If there is no conflict, please state "The authors declare no conflicts of interest." This should be conveyed in a separate "Conflict of Interest" statement preceding the "Acknowledgments" and "References" sections at the end of the manuscript. Any financial support for the study must be fully disclosed in the "Acknowledgments" section.
MDPI, the publisher of the Sciforum.net platform, is an open access publisher. We believe authors should retain the copyright to their scholarly works. Hence, by submitting an abstract to this conference, you retain the copyright to the work, but you grant MDPI the non-exclusive right to publish this abstract online on the Sciforum.net platform. This means you can easily submit your full paper (with the abstract) to any scientific journal at a later stage and transfer the copyright to its publisher if required.
Publication Opportunities
1. Crystals Journal Publication
Participants in this conference are cordially invited to contribute a full manuscript to the conference's Special Issue (to be updated), published in Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352, Impact Factor 2.4), with a 10-20% discount on the publication fee. Please note, if you have IOAP/association discounts, conference discounts will be combined with IOAP/association discounts. Conference discounts cannot be combined with reviewer vouchers. All submitted papers will undergo MDPI’s standard peer-review procedure. The abstracts should be cited and noted on the first page of the paper.
2. Proceedings Paper Publication
Manuscripts for the proceedings issue must be formatted as follows:
Title;
Full author names;
Affiliations (including full postal address) and authors' e-mail addresses;
Abstract;
Keywords;
Introduction;
Methods;
Results and Discussion;
Conclusions;
Acknowledgements;
References.
Please click HERE to submit your proceeding paper to the Chemistry Proceedings.
Chemistry Proceeding Template.docx
Event Awards
To acknowledge the support of the conference's esteemed authors and recognize their outstanding scientific accomplishments, we are pleased to announce that the conference will provide 4 awards including Best Oral Presentation Awards and Best Poster Awards.
The Awards
Number of Awards Available: 4
The Best Oral Presentation Awards are given to the paper judged to make the most significant oral contribution to the conference.
The Best Poster Awards are given to the submission judged to make the most significant and interesting poster for the conference.
There will be four winners selected for these awards. The winner will receive a certificate and 200 CHF each.
Sponsors and Partners
For information regarding sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please click here.
Organizers
Media Partners
Conference Secretariat
Ms. Fionn Ee
Email: iocc2026@mdpi.com
For inquiries regarding submissions and sponsorship opportunities, please feel free to contact us.
S2. Liquid Crystals
Photoalignment and Photopatterning: New Liquid Crystal Technology
- Applications in Liquid Crystal Devices: Insight into how photoaligning and photopatterning enhance the performance of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), adaptive optics, and other optoelectronic devices. Real-world case studies showcasing successful implementations will be presented.
- Emerging Trends in Research: A look at cutting-edge research harnessing photoaligning and photopatterning for novel applications, such as flexible electronics, smart windows, and interactive devices. Emphasis on interdisciplinary collaborations driving innovation in this space.
- Challenges and Future Perspectives: A discussion on current limitations in photoaligning and photopatterning technologies, including material stability, resolution, and scalability. Opportunities for future research and development to overcome these challenges will be addressed.
This session is intended for researchers, engineers, and students involved in liquid crystal technology, materials science, and optical engineering. It will also be beneficial for industry professionals interested in the latest trends and applications in display technology and optoelectronics.
Session Chair
Prof. Dr. Vladimir Chigrinov, Department of Electronic, Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China