Blue Phase Liquid Crystal Nanocomposites and Devices

KSU.380

Abstract:

We have demonstrated that blue phase (BP) liquid crystals (LC) are stabilized as a result of doping gold nanorods (AuNR) and can enable fast-switching devices.  Temperature range studies were conducted with imaging through a polarized optical microscope (POM).  The BP temperature range was increased with increasing concentration of nanoparticles in the BP mixture.  The optimization in the doped BPLC device also leads to a reduction in threshold voltage and turn on voltage in addition to its intrinsic property of sub-millisecond response time in the field-induced optical Kerr effect.

Applications:

• Electrically-driven liquid crystal spatial light modulators, active optical elements and displays
• Alignment-free

Advantages:

• Fast switching time
• Lower applied voltage than pure BPLC

Inventors: Liang-Chy Chien, Jenny Marie Wong and Jeoung-Yeon Hwang