• Chinese Optics Letters
  • Vol. 20, Issue 2, 023201 (2022)
Jiahao Chen1, Chaoyi Li2、3, Luyao Sun1, Lingling Ma2、3, Bingxiang Li1、2、4、*, and Yanqing Lu2、3、**
Author Affiliations
  • 1College of Electronic and Optical Engineering and College of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China
  • 2National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
  • 3Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures & College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
  • 4Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
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    DOI: 10.3788/COL202220.023201 Cite this Article Set citation alerts
    Jiahao Chen, Chaoyi Li, Luyao Sun, Lingling Ma, Bingxiang Li, Yanqing Lu. Polymerization enabled reduction of the electrically induced birefringence change in nematic liquid crystals[J]. Chinese Optics Letters, 2022, 20(2): 023201 Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    Electric fields modify the optical properties of nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) by changing the nematic molecular orientation or order parameters, which enables electro-optic applications of NLCs. However, the field-induced optic change is undesirable in some cases. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that polymer stabilization weakens the birefringence change of NLCs caused by the nanosecond electrically modified order parameter effect. The birefringence change is reduced by 65% in the NLC doped with 25% reactive monomer, which is polymerized close to the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition. This technique could be used in liquid crystal devices where the birefringence change is unfavored.
    I(t)=I0sin2{π[δn(t)+Δneff]Lλ+ϕSB2},

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    IA(t)=sin2(πLΔneffλ+ϕA2)=sin2(ϕAe),

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    IB(t)=sin2(πLΔneffλ+ϕB2)=sin2(ϕBe).

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    ΔIA(t)ΔIB(t)=cos(2ϕAe)cos[2(δϕ+ϕAe)],

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    δn=arccos(1ΔIAΔIB)2arccos[12IA(t)]2kd.

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    Jiahao Chen, Chaoyi Li, Luyao Sun, Lingling Ma, Bingxiang Li, Yanqing Lu. Polymerization enabled reduction of the electrically induced birefringence change in nematic liquid crystals[J]. Chinese Optics Letters, 2022, 20(2): 023201
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