Weak Anchoring Interface Inducing Acrylate Copolymer Designs for High‐Performance Polymer‐Stabilized Blue Phase Liquid Crystal Displays

Abstract

Polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystal (PS-BPLC) is emerging as a strong competitor for next-generation liquid crystal displays and optoelectronic devices. However, the realization of technologies built on PS-BPLC requires lowering of driving voltage without sacrificing other desirable properties of blue phase liquid crystals. Here, we present a new method for voltage reduction in PS-BPLC based on the stabilization of BPLC with weak anchoring interface inducing acrylate monomers. This method provides significant voltage reduction while maintaining the electro-optical performance of BPLCs at the same time. We believe that this approach has a great potential in developing high-performance photonic devices and displays based on liquid crystals.[a] Dr.

High-Performance Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Enabled by Uniquely Designed Acrylate Monomer

“…This can be possible only if the anchoring energy between the polymer and LC is weaker. When the anchoring energy between the LC and polymer is weak, LC molecules respond to an applied electric field easily and thereby reduce the voltage required to switch the system [55,56]. Under such a condition, however, the LC molecules recover to its original state slowly after the removal of the applied field, resulting in the increase of decay time.…”

Fast self-assembly of macroscopic blue phase 3D photonic crystals

“…According to previous studies, the anchoring energy at the interface could be the driving force to promote a specific crystallographic orientation [25,26]. The same mechanisms would be applicable in this case, the free energy at the interface can dominate in some lattice orientations while penalizing others, which would aid in the speedy formation of a BP crystal in a specific single crystal lattice orientation This anchoring energy change at the interface has been used as well in BP mixtures when combined with weak anchoring interface inducing monomers, thus reducing driving voltage of polymer stabilized BPs [27]. Another strategy involves using electrostriction effect by a repetitive applied AC field to induce metastable lattice structures in BPI [28].…”