ABSTRACT
We investigate the effect of anisotropic lattice deformation on the Kerr coefficient of polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystals (PSBP-LCs). PSBPs with orthorhombic and tetragonal symmetry were prepared by polymer-stabilizing a blue-phase liquid crystal under electrostriction. Both orthorhombic and tetragonal PSBPs showed smaller Kerr coefficients than the cubic PSBP, despite an increase in the unit cell volume caused by the elongation of the lattice along the direction of light propagation. Our results indicate that the Kerr coefficient of PSBPs is not determined simply by the volume of the unit lattice but by the lattice size perpendicular to the direction of light propagation.
Subject(s)
Color , Liquid Crystals/chemistry , Models, Chemical , Models, Molecular , Polymers/chemistry , Refractometry/methods , Anisotropy , Computer Simulation , Light , Scattering, RadiationABSTRACT
Polarization-independent refractive index (RI) modulation can be achieved in blue phase (BP) liquid crystals (LCs) by applying an electric field parallel to the direction of light transmission. One of the problems limiting the achievable tuning range is the field-induced phase transition to the cholesteric phase, which is birefringent and chiral. Here we report the RI modulation capabilities of gold nanoparticle-doped BPs I and II, and we show that field-induced BP-cholesteric transition is suppressed in nanoparticle-doped BP II. Because the LC remains optically isotropic even at high applied voltages, a larger RI tuning range can be achieved.
