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How do liquid crystals combine properties of liquids and crystalline solids?

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Diagram showing four physical states of matter: solid with tightly packed molecules, liquid with loosely packed molecules, gas with widely spaced molecules, and plasma with free electrons and nuclei, each labeled with descriptions and an arrow indicating increasing energy. — phase States of matter.

Liquid crystals represent an intermediate state of matter that exists between the crystalline solid and the ordinary liquid state. They combine these disparate properties through a unique balance of flow and structural order:12

Liquid Properties: Like ordinary liquids, liquid crystals possess the ability to flow. Their molecules are not fixed in a rigid lattice, allowing them to move and change positions.12
Solid Properties: Unlike ordinary liquids, liquid crystals display symmetries inherited from crystalline solids. Depending on the specific mesophase, these substances exhibit varying degrees of order, such as molecules aligning along a common axis (the nematic phase) or organizing into layers (the smectic phase).12

This combination occurs because the molecules—often rodlike or disklike in shape—tend to align with one another to minimize energy, even while maintaining the mobility characteristic of a fluid. This structural arrangement allows them to maintain a degree of internal organization while remaining fluid enough to flow.21