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Blue‐phase liquid‐crystal mixtures and their induced stabilization by photopolymerization
Author(s) -
Ely Fernando,
Santos Luciana Quinalia,
Bechtold Ivan H.,
Eccher Juliana,
Gallardo Hugo,
Zagonel Luiz Fernando
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of the society for information display
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.578
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1938-3657
pISSN - 1071-0922
DOI - 10.1889/jsid19.11.781
Subject(s) - liquid crystal , mesogen , monomer , materials science , photopolymer , dopant , acrylate , phase (matter) , polymer , diffraction , optical microscope , acrylate polymer , microstructure , phase transition , chemical engineering , porosity , polarized light microscopy , crystallography , optics , liquid crystalline , composite material , organic chemistry , doping , optoelectronics , chemistry , scanning electron microscope , thermodynamics , physics , engineering
Abstract— Experiments on mixtures of different nematic‐liquid‐crystal hosts with a chiral dopant to induce the appearance of blue phases (BPs) is reported. The phase behavior and transition temperatures of the mixtures were studied by temperature‐dependent polarized optical microscopy, variable temperature X‐ray diffraction, and reflectance measurements. After completely characterized, a selected LC mixture presenting BPs was submitted to polymer‐stabilization using UV‐curable monomers. By using a specific combination of a pro‐mesogenic (B11) and a branched‐chain acrylate (EHA) monomer, a uniform porous microstructure is formed providing a stable BP.