Tailoring Monodomain in Blue Phase Liquid Crystal by Surface Pinning Effect

Abstract

Surface pinning effect of the optically isotropic, blue phase liquid crystal (BPLC) has been studied. Polycrystalline, platelet, multi-domain topological defects without surface treatment have been transformed to uniform monodomain in rubbed surfaces of the cell. The operating voltage was reduced by 27%, owing to a dramatic increase in the Kerr constant. Hysteresis was reduced by 63%, whereas the transmission efficiency gets doubled. The surface anchoring effect on the blue phase plays a significant role in the elastic free energy, coherence length and topological defects. BPLC displays with a low operating voltage, and reduced hysteresis can be realized with surface treatment.