Dendron‐Stabilized Liquid Crystalline Blue Phases with an Enlarged Controllable Range of the Photonic Band for Tunable Photonic Devices

Liquid crystalline blue phases (BPs) show excellent potential for application in tunable photonic devices because they possess the unique optical property that the selective 3D Bragg diffraction in a visible wavelength region can be continuously shifted using an electric field. A new approach to simultaneously extend the wavelength range of field‐induced Bragg diffraction shift and the temperature range of thermodynamically stable BPs is critically needed. Here, a new BP material system is shown using a dendron molecule to extend simultaneously the two BP ranges. One is the temperature range of thermodynamically stable BPs, which is expanded from 2.1 to 4.6 °C. The other is the reversible maximum shift range of Bragg wavelength on the electric field, which is extended from 85 to 109 nm. The physical mechanism of the dendron‐stabilizing effect in BPs is discussed in terms of elastic property and orientational order of liquid crystal molecules.     

Synthesis and Properties of Photoisomerizable Derivatives of Isosorbide and Their Use in Cholesteric Filters

This paper describes the synthesis of photoisomerizable derivatives of isosorbide. These derivatives contain a stilbene or cinnamate moiety and can therefore be used as photoisomerizable chiral compounds in cholesteric liquid‐crystalline mixtures. The reflection wavelength of cholesteric layers made from these mixtures is increased by UV irradiation due to the fact that the Z‐isomers of these derivatives exhibit a lower helical twisting power than the corresponding E‐isomers. The cinnamate derivatives are very suitable for use in cholesteric color filters that find application in liquid‐crystal displays.     

光调谐的胆甾相液晶应用的发展

胆甾相液晶具有自发的螺旋排列,是一个有趣又引人入胜的手性超分子各向异性体系。近几年胆甾相液晶体系,特别是光调谐的胆甾相液晶在新领域的应用出现令人欣喜的研究结果。本文综述了近几年光调谐的胆甾相液晶在滤波、液晶光栅以及液晶激光中的研究成果。具有光调谐特性胆甾相液晶在特殊需求的光学器件中的应用将是胆甾相液晶研究的一个很有潜力的研究方向。     

Synthesis,Liquid‐Crystalline Properties,and Photo‐optical Studies of Photoresponsive Oligomeric Mesogens as Dopants in a Chiral Glassy Liquid Crystal

We have prepared photoresponsive oligomers that have molecular weights of ca. 4500, 8000, and 16 000 g mol^–1 via the free‐radical polymerization of 4‐[4‐alkylphenylazo]phenoxyalkyl acrylates. All of the oligomers possess bilayer smectic A (SmA) and smectic B (SmB) phases. Increasing the concentration of these oligomeric dopants in a glass‐forming cholesteric liquid crystal causes a dramatic red‐shift in the reflection wavelength. The pitch shifts are very dependent on the alkyl chain lengths and molecular weights of the dopants. The oligomer that contains octyl chains and an octyl spacer, and that has a molecular weight of 4500 g mol^–1 exhibits the largest shift in the reflection wavelength. UV exposure has been used to control the cholesteric reflection pitch of the oligomer‐cholesteric glassy liquid‐crystal mixture over the entire visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum and vitrifies the samples by rapid cooling from their cholesteric temperatures to 0 °C. Extremely stable, even at 70 °C, erasable, full‐color images have been created using this host–guest mixture.     

胆甾相液晶双轴特性的计算

采用自洽模拟方法计算了胆甾相液晶双轴序参数随温度和分子手征作用强度的变化,并与实验进行了比较。结果表明,双轴特性与液晶物质和温度有关,但主要产生于胆甾相液晶的螺旋结构、分子的手征特性和取向的有序性     

Analysis of Cavity‐Mode Lasing Characteristics from a Resonator with Broadband Cholesteric Liquid‐Crystal Bragg Reflectors

Detailed optical lasing characteristics in liquid crystal (LC) microlasers consisting of multiple polymer cholesteric LC (PCLC) layers are presented as broadband resonators sandwiching a layer of thick gain media, dye‐containing nematic LC (NLC) or isotropic liquid, in between. Multiple lasing emission peaks due to Fabry‐Perot cavity modes are observed for both gain media, and their polarization characteristics investigated. To analyze lasing characteristics, specified eigen modes are defined, the polarization states of which are maintained before and after passing through the broadband resonator, and obtained for the present full system by using the Berreman 4 × 4 matrix method. Using these specified eigen modes, the optical density for each mode is calculated and compared with the experimental results, and shows good agreement. Finally, lasing characteristics between the resonators with NLC and isotropic gain media are compared, and the advantages of adopting dye‐doped NLC gain medium are shown for tunable red, green, blue lasing in a microlaser system with a broadband resonator.     

Butadienes as Novel Photochromes for Color Tuning of Cholesteric Glasses: Influence of Microscopic Molecular Reorganization within the Helical Superstructure

1‐(Alkoxyphenyl)‐4‐(cyanophenyl)buta‐1E,3E‐dienes have been used as novel photoresponsive dopants for investigating light‐induced changes in the pitch of a glass‐forming cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC), dicholesteryl‐10,12‐docosadiynedioate. X‐ray diffraction studies have helped to establish the role of microscopic changes of smectic domains within the helical superstructure, induced by the dopant molecules and their photoisomers, which result in changes in their macroscopic light‐reflecting properties. Increasing concentration (1–12 wt.‐%) of these dopants causes a dramatic red‐shift in the wavelength of reflected light by the host CLC, extending it into the near‐infrared region. The extent of red‐shift depends strongly on the molecular length of the dopants and those possessing lengths between 25–28 Å, namely 1‐(octyloxyphenyl)‐4‐(cyanophenyl)buta‐1E,3E‐diene and 1‐(decyloxyphenyl)‐4‐(cyanophenyl)buta‐1E,3E‐diene, exhibit the maximum shift (Δλ_{ma x} = 435 nm). Photoisomerization of these dopants leads to a blue‐shift of the reflected light and this effect could be used to tune the light reflectivity of these mixtures over a large part of the visible region. The cholesteric pitch and hence the reflected light by these materials could be fixed in a glassy state by rapidly cooling them from their cholesteric temperatures to 0 °C. The efficacy of these materials for full‐color photoimaging has also been demonstrated.     

胆甾相液晶在彩色显示技术中的应用

胆甾相液晶分子呈螺旋结构,并且其螺距可以用加热冷却、光照和施加电场的方法进行可逆调整。这些性质使得其在彩色显示上具有巨大的应用前景,目前已经能够用胆甾相液晶做成各种彩色图案。为了探索实用的胆甾相液晶材料,人们制备并研究了各种结构和组成的胆甾相液晶,以及控制这些材料颜色的方法。     

Easily Processable and Programmable Responsive Semi‐Interpenetrating Liquid Crystalline Polymer Network Coatings with Changing Reflectivities and Surface Topographies

The fabrication of stimulus‐responsive coatings that change both reflectivity and topography is hampered by the lack of easy processable, patternable, and programmable elastomers. Here, an easily applied reflective coating based on a semi‐interpenetrating polymer network composed of a liquid crystal elastomer and a liquid crystal network (>15 wt%) is reported. The reflective wavelength of these polysiloxane elastomer photonic coatings can be readily programed by the concentration of chiral reactive mesogen dopant that forms the network. The coatings show a fast and reversible decrease in reflection band intensity with increasing temperature, which can be tuned by the polymer network density. In addition, hierarchical surface relief structures are prepared, which can be reversibly changed with temperature.     

高精度夜视液晶滤光系统

高精度夜视液晶滤光系统包括一个具有临界波长的宽带光学滤光器和一个液晶隐波滤光器。液晶光器由胆甾相和向列相流晶组成，它们的重量比为７；３。该滤光系统也可用作适配器，用以阻挡不需要的杂散光。     

激光在手性染料液晶中的传输效应研究

本文研究了激光在手性染料液晶中的传输效应,对激光在手性染料液晶中的光散射现象和非线性光学传输现象进行了理论分析.实验结果和计算数据表明,手性染料液晶在低功率激光作用时,可以引起强烈的光散射现象;随着入射激光功率增加时,可引起明显的非线性传输效果.     

胆甾相液晶场致织构变化的偏光显微镜观测

介绍胆甾相液晶的织构和显示应用，给出胆甾相液晶几种织构的偏光显微镜图像。该图像对认识胆甾相液晶的各种织构，理解胆甾相液晶在双稳态显示器的应用原理具有一定的意义。     

Synthesis of Predesigned Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals and Their Applications in Field‐Sequential Color Displays

A series of low transition temperature and fast response chiral smectic C (SmC*) liquid crystals is designed and synthesized. The phase transition behaviors and electrooptical properties of the synthesized compounds are investigated and compared with reported values. The ferroelectric phase of the liquid crystals is characterized by means of differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy, wide‐angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS), and electrooptical measurements. The wide SmC* phase is achieved via the induction of achiral trisiloxane and a chiral methyl‐lateral substituent onto the terminuses of the molecules. The optimized packing arrangement model is studied based on the exceptionally high apparent tilt angles (≈41°) and smectic layer spacing observed using WAXS. A fast response time of 0.3 ms in an electric field of 10 V µm^?1 provides an opportunity to use the synthesized materials for field‐sequential color liquid crystal displays (FSCLCDs). An FSCLCD sample cell is fabricated using the synthesized ferroelectric liquid crystals via a red (R), green (G), and blue (B) backlight. A color‐frame frequency of more than 500 Hz (i.e., a frame frequency more than 166 Hz) is achieved. As a single material liquid crystal display cell, the synthesized ferroelectric liquid crystals show great performances at room temperature.     

Liquid-crystal color light valve

A multilayer color display device employs two kinds of liquid-crystal films, One is a field-effect nematic liquid crystal; the other comprises a mixture of cholesteric and nematic liquid crystals that have the same function as circular polarizers used in place of crossed polarizers. Three colors (red, green, and blue) can be modulated independently by changing three voltages.     

Photoinduced Tuning of Optical Stop Bands in Azopolymer Based Inverse Opal Photonic Crystals

Photo‐tunable photonic crystals were prepared from three dimensional (3D) colloidal crystal templates using a photoresponsive azopolymer. For the preparation of azopolymer infiltrated photonic crystals, silica colloidal crystals were fabricated by gravity sedimentation, a self‐assembly technique. The interstitial voids between colloidal particles were filled with azopolymer and azopolymer inverse opals were produced by treatment with aqueous hydrofluoric acid. These photonic crystals exhibited stop bands in their transmission spectra measured in the normal incidence to the (111) plane of face centered cubic (fcc). The photonic bandgap of the azopolymer infiltrated opal and inverse opal could be controlled by the refractive index change due to the photoinduced orientation of azobenzene chromophores. When the azopolymer photonic crystals were irradiated with linearly polarized light, their bandgap positions were shifted to shorter wavelength regions with increasing irradiation time. This behavior experimentally produced a photoinduced orientation of the azobenzene groups in parallel with the incidence of the excitation light. Through such an out‐of‐plane orientation of azo chromophores, parallel to the [111] fcc crystallographic axis, the effective refractive index of the photonic crystal medium was decreased. Therefore, a blue‐shift in bandgap positions was consequently induced with 20–40 nm tuning ranges. The out‐of‐plane orientation was confirmed by angular resolved absorption spectral measurements.     

电场对负性介电常数各向异性的小分子胆甾相液晶的作用

介绍和总结了边界条件影响很大的受限胆甾相和聚合物分散小分子胆甾相液晶（PDCLC）两种情况下，外电场对负性介电常数各向异性的小分子胆甾相液晶的作用。前者的研究通过在不变螺距p情况下改变液晶盒鹌鹑d与外电场电压值E，发现了规律性变化的液晶相的相态结构。而对PDCLC的研究中，通过平行和垂直于电场方向的观察，得到了胆甾相变化与外加电压的具体关系，以及在彩色液晶显示上应用。     

Optically-induced molecular reorientation in nematic liquid crystals and nonlinear optical processes in the nanoseconds regime

We present a detailed theoretical analysis and experimental study of purely optically-induced nematic axis reorientation and the associated nonlinear optical processes such as self-phase modulations and optical switching. It is shown that under a sufficiently intense laser field (∼ 100 MW/cm²), nematic liquid crystals will respond in the nanosecond regime. Single nanosecond laser pulse self-phase modulation and intensity switching effects are observed. The magnitude and dynamics of the response are in agreement with theoretical expectations. Optical power limiting and switching effects associated with self-phase modulations are also demonstrated.     

Moldless Printing of Silicone Lenses with Embedded Nanostructured Optical Filters

In this work, both light‐shaping and image magnification features are integrated into a single lens element using a moldless procedure that takes advantage of the physical and optical properties of mesoporous silicon (PSi) photonic crystal nanostructures. Casting of a liquid poly(dimethylsiloxane) pre‐polymer solution onto a PSi film generates a droplet with a contact angle that is readily controlled by the silicon nanostructure, and adhesion of the cured polymer to the PSi photonic crystal allows preparation of lightweight (10 mg) freestanding lenses (4.7 mm focal length) with an embedded optical component (e.g., optical rugate filter, resonant cavity, and distributed Bragg reflector). The fabrication process shows excellent reliability (yield 95%) and low cost and the lens is expected to have implications in a wide range of applications. As a proof‐of‐concept, using a single monolithic lens/filter element it is demonstrated: fluorescence imaging of isolated human cancer cells with rejection of the blue excitation light, through a lens that is self‐adhered to a commercial smartphone; shaping of the emission spectrum of a white light emitting diode to tune the color from red through blue; and selection of a narrow wavelength band (bandwidth 5 nm) from a fluorescent molecular probe.     

Electrochromic Polymer‐Dispersed Liquid‐Crystal Film: A New Bifunctional Device

Polymer‐dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) are liquid‐crystal dispersions within a polymer matrix. These films can be changed from an opaque to a transparent state by applying a suitable alternating‐current electric field. PDLCs have attracted the interest of researchers for their applications as light shutters, smart windows, and active displays. For such applications, electrochromic devices, which change color as a result of electrochemical reactions, have also become a recent focus of research. Herein, we report our preliminary results on bifunctional devices based on PDLCs that host electrochromic guest molecules. Such devices allow both an independent and fast switching from a scattering opaque state to a transmissive transparent state owing to liquid‐crystal reorientation and a color change from white (pale yellow) to dark blue, due to either oxidation or reduction of the electrochromic molecules.