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Novel Glassy Nematic Liquid Crystals for Non‐destructive Rewritable Optical Memory and Photonic Switching
Author(s) -
Chen S.H.,
Chen H.M.P.,
Geng Y.,
Jacobs S.D.,
Marshall K.L.,
Blanton T.N.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.200304836
Subject(s) - materials science , birefringence , liquid crystal , refractive index , optoelectronics , photonics , optical switch , optical storage , optics , physics
Dithienylethene‐containing glassy nematic liquid crystals (see Figure) have been synthesized, in which the dithienylethene core’s electronic transition moment is uniaxially aligned. Large changes in refractive index and optical birefringence could be induced in the solid state by photochemical means. Applications in non‐destructive rewritable optical memory and high‐speed photonic switches are envisaged.