Dynamics of blue-phase selective reflections in an electric field

Reconfiguration of three-dimensional liquid-crystalline photonic crystals by electrostriction

Natural self-assembled three-dimensional photonic crystals such as blue-phase liquid crystals typically assume cubic lattice structures. Nonetheless, blue-phase liquid crystals with distinct crystal symmetries and thus band structures will be advantageous for optical applications. Here we use repetitive electrical pulses to reconfigure blue-phase liquid crystals into stable orthorhombic and tetragonal lattices. This approach, termed repetitively applied field, allows the system to relax between each pulse, gradually transforming the initial cubic lattice into various intermediate metastable states until a stable non-cubic crystal is achieved. We show that this technique is suitable for engineering non-cubic lattices with tailored photonic bandgaps, associated dispersion and band structure across the entire visible spectrum in blue-phase liquid crystals with distinct composition and initial crystal orientation. These field-free blue-phase liquid crystals exhibit large electro-optic responses and can be polymer-stabilized to have a wide operating temperature range and submillisecond response speed, which are promising properties for information display, electro-optics, nonlinear optics, microlasers and biosensing applications.

Observation of photorefractive effects in blue-phase liquid crystal containing fullerene-C60

Photorefractive effects manifested in two beam coupling and side diffractions are observed in fullerene-C₆₀ doped blue-phase liquid crystals (BPLC-C₆₀) upon application of a DC bias field. The mechanism at work here is attributed to BPLC lattice distortion by the combined DC (E_dc)+ photorefractive space-charge (E_photo) fields, in addition to the DC + optical field induced effects reported in previous studies of dye-doped system. The first order diffraction efficiency of ∼2×10^-3 and beam coupling gain of over 2% are observed in a 55 μm thick sample with input laser beam power of 5 mW at an applied DC voltage of 160 V. The effective nonlinear index coefficient n₂ of BPLC-C₆₀ is measured to be on the order of 10^-2  cm²/W, which is slightly lower than their NLC counterparts. Owing to the isotropy of BPLC optical properties, these effects can be observed with more relaxed requirements on the laser polarizations, directions of incidence, and sample orientations.

Dynamical studies of the mechanisms for optical nonlinearities of methyl-red dye doped blue phase liquid crystals

Dynamical grating diffraction experiments and reflection/transmission polarization spectroscopy have been conducted on azo-dye doped Blue-Phase Liquid Crystal (BPLC) to investigate the mechanisms responsible for laser induced refractive index changes. The underlying mechanisms for the transient grating diffraction components are attributed to thermal indexing and lattice distortion, whereas the persistent component is due to lattice distortion/expansion caused by laser excited dye molecule isomerization. These mechanisms were distinguishable by their response dynamics and gave rise to the observed reflection spectra and photonic bandgap shift, polarization dependency and optical activity. Some preliminary studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using these mechanisms for coherent holographic and direct image writing operations.

Nanoparticles in liquid crystals and liquid crystalline nanoparticles

Combinations of liquid crystals and materials with unique features as well as properties at the nanoscale are reviewed. Particular attention is paid to recent developments, i.e., since 2007, in areas ranging from liquid crystal-nanoparticle dispersions to nanomaterials forming liquid crystalline phases after surface modification with mesogenic or promesogenic moieties. Experimental and synthetic approaches are summarized, design strategies compared, and potential as well as existing applications discussed. Finally, a critical outlook into the future of this fascinating field of liquid crystal research is provided.