Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, 1425 Lefton Esplanade, Kent, OH, 44242, USA.
Adv Mater. 2017 Dec;29(47). doi: 10.1002/adma.201704296. Epub 2017 Oct 10.
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.
胆甾相 III 向列相液晶的无定形蓝相，也被称为“蓝雾”，是材料科学中新兴的研究领域之一，有望开发出新一代显示技术，与有机发光二极管等颠覆性技术相媲美。自发现以来，这种在实践中几乎无法观察到的蓝相 III 的结构和性质已经困扰了科学家一个多世纪。本进展报告从基础和应用研究的角度综述了该领域的最新进展。本进展报告的第一部分概述了近 130 年来取得的科学突破，这些突破最近揭示了蓝相 III 的神秘结构。第二部分综述了过去十年中基于蓝相 III 开发电光、光学和光子器件方面取得的进展。强调和批评了这些器件发展的优缺点。第三部分和最后一部分提出了进一步改进蓝相 III 技术的想法，以使该技术能够商业化和广泛应用。
