Blue-phase-polymer-templated nematic with sub-millisecond broad-temperature range electro-optic switching

Abstract

We report on fast electro-optic switching (response time 0.1 ms) of a blue-phase-polymer templated nematic with a broad-temperature range of thermodynamic stability and hysteresis-free performance. The nematic fills a polymer template that imposes a periodic structure with cubic symmetry and submicron period. In the field-free state, the nematic in polymer template is optically isotropic. An applied electric field causes non-zero optical retardance. The approach thus combines beneficial structural and optical features of the blue phase (cubic structure with submicron periodicity) and superior thermodynamic stability and electro-optic switching ability of the nematic filler.

5 pages, 5 figures

References in corpus (2)

• Blue-phase templated fabrication of three-dimensional nanostructures for photonic applications
• Thermodynamically Stable Blue Phases

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Electro-optic switching of dielectrically negative nematic through nanosecond electric modification of order parameter (NEMOP)
• Trapping of isotropic droplets by disclinations in nematic liquid crystals controlled by surface anchoring and elastic constant disparity
• Induced smectic ordering and blue phase formation in mixtures of cyanobiphenyls and cholesterol esters
• Broadening the temperature range of blue phases using $azo$ compounds of various molecular geometries assembled from modular "LEGO" molecular units