Publication Date:
2018-07-28
Description:
Author(s): Hongzhen Jing, Ying Xiang, Mingya Xu, Everett Wang, Jing Wang, Nándor Éber, and Ágnes Buka In attempting to extend the utility of liquid crystals (LCs) in optics, the authors show that the orientation of the electric-field-induced convection patterns of a cholesteric LC can be modified via ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. This tunability is due to a photosensitive chiral dopant, which can change its molecular shape upon illumination; this makes the pitch of the cholesteric helical structure dependent on the intensity of the UV light, while the pattern’s orientation is governed by the thickness-to-pitch ratio. This phenomenon allows the design of innovative photonic devices, such as light deflectors switchable by UV pulses. [Phys. Rev. Applied 10, 014028] Published Fri Jul 27, 2018
Electronic ISSN:
2331-7019
Topics:
Physics
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