Photorefractive effect of photoconductive ferroelectric liquid crystalline mixtures composed of photoconductive chiral compounds and liquid crystal

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 8678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeo Sasaki ◽  
Daisuke Miyazaki ◽  
Komei Akaike ◽  
Masashi Ikegami ◽  
Yumiko Naka
2014 ◽  
Vol 174 ◽  
pp. 203-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeo Sasaki ◽  
Satoshi Kajikawa ◽  
Yumiko Naka

The photorefractive effect in photoconductive ferroelectric liquid crystals that contain photoconductive chiral compounds was investigated. Terthiophene compounds with chiral structures were chosen as the photoconductive chiral compounds, and they were mixed with an achiral smectic C liquid crystal. The mixtures exhibit the ferroelectric chiral smectic C phase. The photorefractivity of the mixtures was investigated by two-beam coupling experiments. It was found that the ferroelectric liquid crystals containing the photoconductive chiral compound exhibit a large gain coefficient of over 1200 cm−1 and a fast response time of 1 ms. Real-time dynamic amplification of an optical image signal of over 30 fps using the photorefractive ferroelectric liquid crystal was demonstrated.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut R. Brand ◽  
Harald Pleiner

Abstract. We discuss the symmetry properties as well as the macroscopic behavior of the cubic liquid crystal phases showing large chiral domains of either hand in some non-chiral compounds reported recently in the group of Tschierske. These phases are tricontinuous. While they have O or I432 symmetry in each chiral domain, the overall symmetry is $ I m \bar{3} m$Im3¯m as there is no net chirality for compounds composed of non-chiral molecules. It turns out that a rather similar type of phase has also been reported for triblock copolymers. Here we analyze in detail the macroscopic static and dynamic behavior of such phases and we predict, among other results, that they show the analog of static and dissipative Lehmann-type effects in their chiral domains. A description of a cubic liquid crystalline phase of Th symmetry, which has not yet been found experimentally, is also included. Suggestions for experiments are outlined to identify such a phase. In addition, we discuss tetragonal liquid crystalline phases of D4h and D4 (I422) symmetry as they have been reported last year experimentally in connection to the Q phase. Graphical abstract


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (23) ◽  
pp. 6789
Author(s):  
Katarzyna A. Rutkowska ◽  
Anna Kozanecka-Szmigiel

Tunable diffraction gratings and phase filters are important functional devices in optical communication and sensing systems. Polarization gratings, in particular, capable of redirecting an incident light beam completely into the first diffraction orders may be successfully fabricated in liquid crystalline cells assembled from substrates coated with uniform transparent electrodes and orienting layers that force a specific molecular distribution. In this work, the diffraction properties of liquid crystal (LC) cells characterized by a continually rotating cycloidal director pattern at the cell substrates and in the bulk, are studied theoretically by solving a relevant set of the Euler-Lagrange equations. The electric tunability of the gratings is analyzed by estimating the changes in liquid crystalline molecular distribution and thus in effective birefringence, as a function of external voltage. To the best of our knowledge, such detailed numerical calculations have not been presented so far for liquid crystal polarization gratings showing a cycloidal director pattern. Our theoretical predictions may be easily achieved in experimental conditions when exploiting, for example, photo-orienting material, to induce a permanent LC alignment with high spatial resolution. The proposed design may be for example, used as a tunable passband filter with adjustable bandwidths, thus allowing for potential applications in optical spectroscopy, optical communication networks, remote sensing and beyond.


2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (8) ◽  
pp. 1162-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Henrissat ◽  
G K Hamer ◽  
M G Taylor ◽  
R H Marchessault

A series of dodecyl 1-thio-β-D-glycosides has been synthesized and characterized (DSC, NMR, CP MAS, X-ray diffraction) as possible new marking materials with liquid-crystalline properties. These compounds undergo solid to liquid crystal phase transitions at various temperatures, which depend on the nature of the carbohydrate part of the structure. Their liquid-crystalline phases show extreme shear thinning behaviour.Key words: liquid crystal, powder X-ray diffraction, phase transition, thioglycoside, solid-state NMR, marking material


1971 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-109
Author(s):  
A. C. NEVILLE ◽  
B. M. LUKE

The protein in the oothecal glands of praying mantids (Sphodromantis tenuidentata, Miomantis monacha) exists in the form of lamellar liquid crystalline spherulites, which coalesce as they flow out of a punctured gland tubule. Electron micrographs of sections of these spherulites after fixation show parabolic patterns of an electron-light component, set in a continuous matrix of protein. Such patterns arise in helicoidal systems (e.g. arthropod cuticle) and microdensitometric scans of the matrix show a rhythmical electron-density variation consistent with helicoidal structure. Double spiral patterns identical to those seen in liquid crystal spherulites are illustrated. These properties resemble those of cholesteric liquid crystals. The constructional units appear to be molecular rather than fibrillar as described by previous authors. The helicoidal architecture arises by self-assembly in the gland lumen. Lamellar surface structures self-assembled spontaneously on glass coverslips when the protein was left to stand for several days. When heated to 55 °C, the birefringent liquid crystalline protein abruptly changes to an isotropic gel, with associated loss of parabolic patterning in electron micrographs and of the rhythmical electron-density variation on microdensitometric scans. This behaviour is compared to the formation of gelatin from collagen, in terms of the randomization of an originally ordered secondary structure.


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