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Dynamic Orthogonal Switching of a Thermoresponsive Self‐Organized Helical Superstructure
Author(s) -
Zhang Lingli,
Wang Ling,
Hiremath Uma S.,
Bisoyi Hari Krishna,
Nair Geetha G.,
Yelamaggad Channabasaveshwar V.,
Urbas Augustine M.,
Bunning Timothy J.,
Li Quan
Publication year - 2017
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.201700676
Subject(s) - materials science , superstructure , liquid crystal , beam steering , planar , electric field , perpendicular , optical switch , molecular switch , grating , helix (gastropod) , optoelectronics , liquid crystalline , cholesteric liquid crystal , beam (structure) , optics , molecule , computer science , computer graphics (images) , mathematics , snail , ecology , oceanography , chemistry , biology , geometry , quantum mechanics , physics , organic chemistry , geology
Controllable manipulation of self‐organized dynamic superstructures of functional molecular materials by external stimuli is an enabling enterprise. Herein, we have developed a thermally driven, self‐organized helical superstructure, i.e., thermoresponsive cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC), by integrating a judiciously chosen thermoresponsive chiral molecular switch into an achiral liquid crystalline medium. The CLC in lying state, in both planar and twisted nematic cells, exhibits reversible in‐plane orthogonal switching of its helical axis in response to the combined effect of temperature and electric field. Consequently, the direction of the cholesteric grating has been observed to undergo 90° switching in a single cell, enabling non‐mechanical beam steering along two orthogonal directions. The ability to reversibly switch the cholesteric gartings along perpendicular directions by appropriately adjusting temperature and electric field strength could facilitate their applications in 2D beam steering, spectrum scanning, optoelectronics and beyond.