Kim Min Su, Chien Liang-Chy
Liquid Crystal Institute & Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA.
Soft Matter. 2015 Oct 28;11(40):8013-8. doi: 10.1039/c5sm01918d. Epub 2015 Sep 2.
A wide-temperature liquid crystalline amorphous blue phase based on polymer network stabilization exhibits high thermodynamic stability with an extended temperature ranging from a few °C to more than 80 °C (including room temperature). Analyses using confocal laser scanning microscopy show that the polymer network imitates the aperiodic disclination-entangled structure of an amorphous blue phase and involves a highly intertwined interaction with liquid crystal molecules. The stabilized amorphous blue phase manifests a tens of microseconds response time, a consistent achromatic dark state and it is intrinsically hysteresis-free during the application of an electric field. The topological and electro-optical features of the stabilized amorphous blue phase are further compared with the stabilized isotropic and cubic blue phases. These results not only provide a physical perspective on the electro-optical response of a liquid crystal and polymer composite but also open up a new direction for electro-optical device applications.
基于聚合物网络稳定化的宽温度液晶非晶蓝相在从几摄氏度到超过80摄氏度（包括室温）的宽温度范围内表现出高热力学稳定性。使用共聚焦激光扫描显微镜进行的分析表明，聚合物网络模仿了非晶蓝相的非周期性位错缠结结构，并涉及与液晶分子的高度交织相互作用。稳定化的非晶蓝相表现出数十微秒的响应时间、一致的消色差暗态，并且在施加电场时本质上无滞后现象。将稳定化的非晶蓝相的拓扑和电光特性与稳定化的各向同性和立方蓝相进行了进一步比较。这些结果不仅为液晶和聚合物复合材料的电光响应提供了物理视角，也为电光器件应用开辟了新方向。
