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Carenza LN, Gonnella G, Marenduzzo D, Negro G, Orlandini E. Cholesteric Shells: Two-Dimensional Blue Fog and Finite Quasicrystals. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 128:027801. [PMID: 35089738 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.027801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We study the phase behavior of a quasi-two-dimensional cholesteric liquid crystal shell. We characterize the topological phases arising close to the isotropic-cholesteric transition and show that they differ in a fundamental way from those observed on a flat geometry. For spherical shells, we discover two types of quasi-two-dimensional topological phases: finite quasicrystals and amorphous structures, both made up of mixtures of polygonal tessellations of half-skyrmions. These structures generically emerge instead of regular double twist lattices because of geometric frustration, which disallows a regular hexagonal tiling of curved space. For toroidal shells, the variations in the local curvature of the surface stabilizes heterogeneous phases where cholesteric patterns coexist with hexagonal lattices of half-skyrmions. Quasicrystals and amorphous and heterogeneous structures could be sought experimentally by self-assembling cholesteric shells on the surface of emulsion droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- L N Carenza
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Bari and INFN, Sezione di Bari, via Amendola 173, Bari I-70126, Italy
- Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden, P.O. Box 9506, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - G Gonnella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Bari and INFN, Sezione di Bari, via Amendola 173, Bari I-70126, Italy
| | - D Marenduzzo
- SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom
| | - G Negro
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Bari and INFN, Sezione di Bari, via Amendola 173, Bari I-70126, Italy
| | - E Orlandini
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Padova and INFN, Sezione di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
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Paul T, Saha J. Origin and structure of liquid crystalline Blue Phase III. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16016. [PMID: 32994422 PMCID: PMC7525552 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72086-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
We report here an off-lattice NVT molecular dynamics simulation study of a system of polar chiral ellipsoidal molecules, which spontaneously exhibits Blue Phase III (BPIII), considering coarse-grained attractive-repulsive pair interaction appropriate for anisotropic liquid crystal mesogens. We have observed that suitable selection of chiral and dipolar strengths not only gives rise to thermodynamically stable BPIII but novel Smectic and Bilayered BPIII as well. Further, we have demonstrated that the occurrence of BPIII and its layered counterparts depend crucially on molecular elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanay Paul
- Department of Physics, University of Calcutta, 92, A. P. C. Road, Kolkata, 700009, India
| | - Jayashree Saha
- Department of Physics, University of Calcutta, 92, A. P. C. Road, Kolkata, 700009, India.
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Gandhi SS, Chien LC. Unraveling the Mystery of the Blue Fog: Structure, Properties, and Applications of Amorphous Blue Phase III. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2017; 29:1704296. [PMID: 28994150 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201704296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The amorphous blue phase III of cholesteric liquid crystals, also known as the "blue fog," are among the rising stars in materials science that can potentially be used to develop next-generation displays with the ability to compete toe-to-toe with disruptive technologies like organic light-emitting diodes. The structure and properties of the practically unobservable blue phase III have eluded scientists for more than a century since it was discovered. This progress report reviews the developments in this field from both fundamental and applied research perspectives. The first part of this progress report gives an overview of the 130-years-long scientific tour-de-force that very recently resulted in the revelation of the mysterious structure of blue phase III. The second part reviews progress made in the past decade in developing electrooptical, optical, and photonic devices based on blue phase III. The strong and weak aspects of the development of these devices are underlined and criticized, respectively. The third- and-final part proposes ideas for further improvement in blue phase III technology to make it feasible for commercialization and widespread use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Sandesh Gandhi
- Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, 1425 Lefton Esplanade, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Liang-Chy Chien
- Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, 1425 Lefton Esplanade, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
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Henrich O, Stratford K, Cates ME, Marenduzzo D. Structure of blue phase III of cholesteric liquid crystals. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2011; 106:107801. [PMID: 21469836 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.106.107801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2010] [Revised: 11/16/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
We report large scale simulations of the blue phases of cholesteric liquid crystals. Our results suggest a structure for blue phase III, the blue fog, which has been the subject of a long debate in liquid crystal physics. We propose that blue phase III is an amorphous network of disclination lines, which is thermodynamically and kinetically stabilized over crystalline blue phases at intermediate chiralities. This amorphous network becomes ordered under an applied electric field, as seen in experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Henrich
- SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, United Kingdom
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Henrich O, Marenduzzo D, Stratford K, Cates ME. Thermodynamics of blue phases in electric fields. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2010; 81:031706. [PMID: 20365750 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.81.031706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2009] [Revised: 02/03/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
We present extensive numerical studies to determine the phase diagrams of cubic and hexagonal blue phases in an electric field. We confirm the earlier prediction that hexagonal phases, both two and three dimensional, are stabilized by a field, but we significantly refine the phase boundaries, which were previously estimated by means of a semianalytical approximation. In particular, our simulations show that the blue phase I-blue phase II transition at fixed chirality is largely unaffected by electric field, as observed experimentally.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Henrich
- SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, JCMB, King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, United Kingdom
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Krich JJ, Romanowsky MB, Collings PJ. Correlation length and chirality of the fluctuations in the isotropic phase of nematic and cholesteric liquid crystals. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2005; 71:051712. [PMID: 16089556 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.71.051712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2005] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Light-scattering measurements of the correlation length in the isotropic phase of a nematic liquid crystal reveal a temperature dependence following Landau-de Gennes theory for the isotropic phase with a bare correlation length smaller than has been measured in other liquid crystals. Similar measurements in a cholesteric liquid crystal demonstrate that the correlation length in the isotropic phase is larger than typically found in nematics and that the chirality of the fluctuations in the isotropic phase is slightly higher than the chirality of the cholesteric phase. Landau-de Gennes theory of the cholesteric phase describes the chirality in the cholesteric phase well but predicts that the chirality in the isotropic phase is temperature independent, which is not consistent with the data. There is a discontinuity in the chirality at the cholesteric-isotropic transition of about 15%, which is less than the predictions of Landau-de Gennes theory but more than the typical specific volume discontinuity at transitions to the isotropic phase. Except for a mismatch in the discontinuities at the transition, the chirality data resemble the temperature behavior of variables just below a critical point, in spite of the fact that this system is far from a critical point.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob J Krich
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
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Lubensky TC, Stark H. Theory of a critical point in the blue-phase-III-isotropic phase diagram. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL PHYSICS, PLASMAS, FLUIDS, AND RELATED INTERDISCIPLINARY TOPICS 1996; 53:714-720. [PMID: 9964304 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.53.714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
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Kutnjak Z, Garland CW, Passmore JL, Collings PJ. Supercritical conversion of the third blue phase to the isotropic phase in a highly chiral liquid crystal. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 1995; 74:4859-4862. [PMID: 10058617 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.74.4859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
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Kitzerow H, Crooker PP, Heppke G. Line shapes of field-induced blue-phase-III selective reflections. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 1991; 67:2151-2154. [PMID: 10044353 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.67.2151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
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Kitzerow H, Crooker PP, Kwok SL, Xu J, Heppke G. Dynamics of blue-phase selective reflections in an electric field. PHYSICAL REVIEW. A, ATOMIC, MOLECULAR, AND OPTICAL PHYSICS 1990; 42:3442-3448. [PMID: 9904425 DOI: 10.1103/physreva.42.3442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
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Keyes PH. High-chirality blue-phase lattices are unstable: A theory for the formation of blue phase III. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 1990; 65:436-439. [PMID: 10042920 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.65.436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
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Yang DK, Crooker PP, Tanimoto K. Reflectivity of surface-aligned blue phase III of chiral liquid crystals. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 1988; 61:2685-2688. [PMID: 10039196 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.61.2685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
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Hornreich RM, Shtrikman S. Topological properties of cholesteric blue phases. PHYSICAL REVIEW. A, GENERAL PHYSICS 1988; 38:4843-4858. [PMID: 9900952 DOI: 10.1103/physreva.38.4843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
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Gronlund L, Mermin ND. Instability of quasicrystalline order in the local Kalugin-Kitaev-Levitov model. PHYSICAL REVIEW. B, CONDENSED MATTER 1988; 38:3699-3710. [PMID: 9946738 DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.38.3699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Toner J. Anomalously slow strain relaxation in quasicrystals and conventional crystals. PHYSICAL REVIEW. B, CONDENSED MATTER 1988; 37:9571-9581. [PMID: 9944348 DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.37.9571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2023]
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Yang DK, Crooker PP. Blue phase III of chiral liquid crystals in an electric field. PHYSICAL REVIEW. A, GENERAL PHYSICS 1988; 37:4001-4005. [PMID: 9899514 DOI: 10.1103/physreva.37.4001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
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Narasimhan S, Ho TL. Mean-field-theory study of the energetics of icosahedral, decagonal, and dodecagonal quasicrystals. PHYSICAL REVIEW. B, CONDENSED MATTER 1988; 37:800-809. [PMID: 9944572 DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.37.800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Jérôme B, Pieranski P, Godec V, Haran G, Germain C. Determination of the blue phase II structure. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1988. [DOI: 10.1051/jphys:01988004905083700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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Hornreich RM, Shtrikman S. Theoretical nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of quasicrystalline ordering in cholesteric blue phase III. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 1987; 59:68-70. [PMID: 10035104 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.59.68] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
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Frenkel DM, Henley CL, Siggia ED. Topological constraints on quasicrystal transformations. PHYSICAL REVIEW. B, CONDENSED MATTER 1986; 34:3649-3669. [PMID: 9940128 DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.34.3649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2023]
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