Polarization patterning in ferroelectric nematic liquids

Abstract

The recently discovered ferroelectric nematic liquids incorporate to the functional combination of fluidity, processability and anisotropic optical properties of nematic liquids, an astonishing range of physical properties derived from the phase polarity. Among them, the remarkably large values of second order optical susceptibility encourage to exploit these new materials for non-linear photonic applications. Here we show that photopatterning of the alignment layer can be used to structure polarization patterns. To do so, we take advantage of the flexoelectric effect and design splay structures that geometrically define the polarization direction. We demonstrate the creation of periodic polarization structures and the possibility of guiding polarization by embedding splay structures in uniform backgrounds. The demonstrated capabilities of polarization patterning, open a promising new route for the design of ferroelectric nematic based photonic structures and their exploitation.

10 pages manuscript, 7 Figures, 36 pages Supplementary Information, 25 Figures

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Cited by in corpus (10)

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• Collective and non-collective molecular dynamics in a ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal studied by broadband dielectric spectroscopy
• Systematic Fluorination is a Powerful Design Strategy Towards Fluid Molecular Ferroelectrics
• Antiferroelectric order in nematic liquids: Flexoelectricity vs electrostatics
• Double Splay Nematic Order in Confined Polar Fluids
• Many-defect solutions in planar nematics: interactions, spiral textures and boundary conditions
• Tunable macroscopic defect patterns induced by a low-frequency AC electric field in ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals
• Half-integer Topological Defects Paired via String Micelles in Polar Liquids
• Multistable polar textures in geometrically frustrated nematic liquid crystals
• Polar and apolar light-induced alignment of ferroelectric nematic at photosensitive polymer substrate