Premium
Unraveling the Mystery of the Blue Fog: Structure, Properties, and Applications of Amorphous Blue Phase III
Author(s) -
Gandhi Sahil Sandesh,
Chien LiangChy
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.201704296
Subject(s) - materials science , amorphous solid , phase (matter) , deep blue , blueshift , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , crystallography , photochemistry , organic chemistry , photoluminescence , chemistry
The amorphous blue phase III of cholesteric liquid crystals, also known as the “blue fog,” are among the rising stars in materials science that can potentially be used to develop next‐generation displays with the ability to compete toe‐to‐toe with disruptive technologies like organic light‐emitting diodes. The structure and properties of the practically unobservable blue phase III have eluded scientists for more than a century since it was discovered. This progress report reviews the developments in this field from both fundamental and applied research perspectives. The first part of this progress report gives an overview of the 130‐years‐long scientific tour‐de‐force that very recently resulted in the revelation of the mysterious structure of blue phase III. The second part reviews progress made in the past decade in developing electrooptical, optical, and photonic devices based on blue phase III. The strong and weak aspects of the development of these devices are underlined and criticized, respectively. The third‐ and‐final part proposes ideas for further improvement in blue phase III technology to make it feasible for commercialization and widespread use.