Hysteresis-free polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystals using thermal recycles

We demonstrate a hysteresis-free polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystals (PSBP-LCs) using thermal recycles by means of enlarging the domain size of PSBP-LC and improving the uniformity of the crystal orientations of PSBP-LC. The crystal growth of PSBP-LCs bases on a competition between the heterogeneous nucleation and the homogeneous nucleation is also demonstrated and discussed. This study opens a new window for understanding the hysteresis of the PSBP-LC and assisting in designing many PSBP-LC-based photonic devices, such as displays, electro-optical switches, and electrically tunable focusing LC lenses. (C)2012 Optical Society of America