Computer simulation evidence of the transient planar state during the homeotropic to focal conic transition in cholesteric liquid crystals

Effect of Surface Alignment Layers on the Configurational Transitions in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals

To understand the mechanism behind the pitch change during the transient planar to the planar state transition of a cholesteric liquid crystal ͑while it is relaxing from the homeotropic state to the planar state͒, we studied a more controlled situation of pitch change in a thermochromic liquid crystal. We studied the pitch change in the liquid crystal, as a function of temperature, under various ...

Observation of Pattern Evolution During Homeotropic-Focal Conic Transition in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals

Lower operation voltage in dual-frequency cholesteric liquid crystals based on the thermodielectric effect.

Dual-frequency cholesteric liquid crystal (DFCLC) devices characteristically require high operation voltage, which hinders their further development in thin-film-transistor driving. Here we report on a lower-voltage switching method based on the thermodielectric effect. This technique entails applying a high-frequency voltage to occasion dielectric oscillation heating so to induce the increase ...

Characteristic Times in the Homeotropic to Planar Transition in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals

The effect of surfaces on the relaxation from the homeotropic state to the planar state of cholesteric liquid crystals is investigated. By using an optical retro-reflection technique, we have isolated the orientation and pitch of cholesteric helices as a function of time for various surface treatments. We have found that the pitch relaxes to its minimum value in a matter of milliseconds, indepe...

Evidence of a Bulk Modulation in the Transition from the Transient Planar to the Planar Director Configuration in Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Displays

In cholesteric liquid crystals with a positive dielectric anisotropy, the relaxation from the electric field aligned director configuration to the stable zero field director configuration proceeds via a metastable transient planar director configuration which has a pitch distinct from the equilibrium state. Here, the transition from the transient planar to the equilibrium zero-field state is sh...