Beam steering by liquid crystal elastomer fibres

Soft Matter ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (45) ◽  
pp. 8590-8596 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Nocentini ◽  
D. Martella ◽  
D. S. Wiersma ◽  
C. Parmeggiani
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Crystalline ◽  
Beam Steering ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer ◽  
Plane Direction

A liquid crystalline elastomer based beam steerer is demonstrated able to address the impinging signal in every in-plane direction.

scholarly journals Tunable Polarization Gratings Based on Nematic Liquid Crystal Mixtures Photoaligned with Azo Polymer-Coated Substrates

Crystals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateusz Nieborek ◽  
Katarzyna Rutkowska ◽  
Tomasz Ryszard Woliński ◽  
Bartosz Bartosewicz ◽  
Bartłomiej Jankiewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Crystalline ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Beam Steering ◽  
Incident Beam ◽  
Molecular Reorientation ◽  
Electric Voltage ◽  
Azo Polymer ◽  
Order Diffraction ◽  
Polarization Gratings

Liquid crystal polarization gratings are of great interest for optical communications as elements performing beam steering, splitting, multiplexing or beam combining. Material birefringence, cell thickness or a period of the liquid crystal director pattern influence, among other features, spectroscopic and electro-optical characteristics of fabricated devices, determining thus their functionality and applicability. Here, we report on liquid crystal polarization gratings that allow for complete maximization of the first-order diffraction efficiency (resulting in total elimination of the zeroth-order diffraction) for any wavelength of an incident beam from green to the near-infrared spectral region by applying a low electric voltage. The gratings with periods as small as 10 μm were obtained by holographic exposure of the cell substrates coated with light-sensitive azo polymer alignment layers, and then filled with three different liquid crystal mixtures. The influence of gold nanoparticle dopants in the liquid crystalline mixtures on spectroscopic and electro-optical properties of the devices is presented. Moreover, on the basis of the measured transmittance spectra of the fabricated gratings, the unknown birefringence of liquid crystal mixtures as well as their effective birefringence due to molecular reorientation in the electric field in the visible and near IR region were determined.

scholarly journals Tunable light beam steering device using polymer stabilized blue phase liquid crystals

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj Joshi ◽  
Oliver Willekens ◽  
Xiaobing Shang ◽  
Jelle De Smet ◽  
Dieter Cuypers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Crystals ◽  
Liquid Crystalline ◽  
Beam Steering ◽  
Polymer Dispersed ◽  
Phase Liquid ◽  
Blue Phase ◽  
Blue Phases ◽  
Polymer Stabilized ◽  
Polarization Independent

A polarization independent and fast electrically switchable beam steering device is presented, based on a surface relief grating combined with polymer stabilized blue phase liquid crystals. Switching on and off times are both less than 2 milliseconds. The prospects of further improvements are discussed. Full Text: PDF ReferencesD.C. Wright, et al., "Crystalline liquids: the blue phases", Rev. Mod. Phys. 61, 385 (1989). CrossRef H. Kikuchi, et al., "Polymer-stabilized liquid crystal blue phases", Nat. Mater. 1, 64 (2002). CrossRef Samsung, Korea, SID exhibition, (2008).J. Yan, et al., "Direct measurement of electric-field-induced birefringence in a polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystal composite", Opt. Express 18, 11450 (2010). CrossRef L. Rao, et al., "A large Kerr constant polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystal", Appl. Phys. Lett. 98, 081109 (2011). CrossRef Y. Hisakado, et al., "Large Electro-optic Kerr Effect in Polymer-Stabilized Liquid-Crystalline Blue Phases", Adv. Mater. 17, 96 (2005). CrossRef K. M. et al., "Submillisecond Gray-Level Response Time of a Polymer-Stabilized Blue-Phase Liquid Crystal", J. Disp. Technol. 6, 49 (2010). CrossRef Y. Chen, et al., "Level set based topology optimization for optical cloaks", Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 251106 (2013). CrossRef H. Choi, et al., "Fast electro-optic switching in liquid crystal blue phase II", Appl. Phys. Lett. 98, 131905 (2011). CrossRef Y.H. Chen, et al., "Polarization independent Fabry-Pérot filter based on polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystals with fast response time", Opt. Express 19, 25441 (2011). CrossRef Y. Li, et al., "Polarization independent adaptive microlens with a blue-phase liquid crystal", Opt. Express 19, 8045 (2011). CrossRef C.T. Lee, et al., "Design of polarization-insensitive multi-electrode GRIN lens with a blue-phase liquid crystal", Opt. Express 19, 17402 (2011). CrossRef Y.T. Lin, et al., "Mid-infrared absorptance of silicon hyperdoped with chalcogen via fs-laser irradiation", J. Appl. Phys. 113, (2013). CrossRef J.D. Lin, et al., "Spatially tunable photonic bandgap of wide spectral range and lasing emission based on a blue phase wedge cell", Optics Express 22, 29479 (2014). CrossRef W. Cao, et al., "Lasing in a three-dimensional photonic crystal of the liquid crystal blue phase II", Nat. Mat. 1, 111 (2002). CrossRef S.T. Hur, et al., "Liquid-Crystalline Blue Phase Laser with Widely Tunable Wavelength", Adv. Mater. 25, 3002 (2013). CrossRef A. Mazzulla, et al., "Thermal and electrical laser tuning in liquid crystal blue phase I", Soft. Mater. 8, 4882 (2012). CrossRef C.W. Chen, et al., "Random lasing in blue phase liquid crystals", Opt. Express 20, 23978 (2012). CrossRef O. Willekens, et al., "Ferroelectric thin films with liquid crystal for gradient index applications", Opt. Exp. 24, 8088 (2016). CrossRef O. Willekens, et al., "Reflective liquid crystal hybrid beam-steerer", Opt. Exp. 24, 1541 (2016). CrossRef M. Jazbinšek, et al., "Characterization of holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal transmission gratings", J. Appl. Phys. 90, 3831 (2001). CrossRef C.C. Bowley, et al., "Variable-wavelength switchable Bragg gratings formed in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals", Appl. Phys. Lett. 79, 9 (2001). CrossRef Y.Q. Lu, et al., "Polarization switch using thick holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystal grating", Appl. Phys. 95, 810 (2004). CrossRef J.J. Butler et al., "Diffraction properties of highly birefringent liquid-crystal composite gratings", Opt. Lett. 25, 420 (2000). CrossRef R.L. Sutherland et al., "Electrically switchable volume gratings in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals", Appl. Phys. Lett. 64, 1074 (1994). CrossRef X. Shang, et al., "Electrically Controllable Liquid Crystal Component for Efficient Light Steering", IEEE Photo. J. 7, 1 (2015). CrossRef J. Yan, et al., "Extended Kerr effect of polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystals", Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 071105 (2010). CrossRef H.S. Chen, et al., "Hysteresis-free polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystals using thermal recycles", Opt. Mat. Exp. 2, 1149 (2012). CrossRef J. Yan. et al., "Dual-period tunable phase grating using polymer stabilized blue phase liquid crystal", Opt. Lett. 40, 4520 (2015). CrossRef H.S. Chen, et al., "Hysteresis-free polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystals using thermal recycles", Opt. Mat. Exp. 2, 1149 (2012). CrossRef H.C. Cheng, et al., "Blue-Phase Liquid Crystal Displays With Vertical Field Switching", J. Disp. Technol. 8, 98 (2012). CrossRef

scholarly journals Continuous spinning aligned liquid crystal elastomer fibers with a 3D printer setup

Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueyan Lin ◽  
Mohand O Saed ◽  
Eugene Terentjev
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Crystalline ◽  
Response Times ◽  
3D Printer ◽  
Small Thickness ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer

Fibrous liquid crystalline elastomers (LCE) are an attractive variant of LCE-based actuators due to their small thickness, leading to faster response times to stimuli, as well as the increased mechanical...

scholarly journals Programmable liquid crystal elastomer microactuators prepared via thiol–ene dispersion polymerization

Soft Matter ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (21) ◽  
pp. 4908-4911
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Liu ◽  
Xinglong Pan ◽  
Michael G. Debije ◽  
Johan P. A. Heuts ◽  
Dirk J. Mulder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Crystalline ◽  
Dispersion Polymerization ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer

Programmable, narrowly dispersed, 10 micron-sized, liquid crystalline elastomer actuators were first prepared via thiol–ene dispersion polymerization and then deformed in a PVA film, followed by photopolymerization of the residual acrylate groups.

Modeling of photo-responsive liquid crystal elastomer actuators

2021 ◽  
Vol 560 ◽  
pp. 441-455
Author(s):  
Jundong Wu ◽  
Wenjun Ye ◽  
Yawu Wang ◽  
Chun-Yi Su
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer

scholarly journals Liquid Crystal Devices for Beam Steering Applications

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 247
Author(s):  
Rowan Morris ◽  
Cliff Jones ◽  
Mamatha Nagaraj
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Crystals ◽  
Adaptive Optics ◽  
Beam Steering ◽  
Optical Components ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Liquid Crystal Devices

Liquid crystals are valuable materials for applications in beam steering devices. In this paper, an overview of the use of liquid crystals in the field of adaptive optics specifically for beam steering and lensing devices is presented. The paper introduces the properties of liquid crystals that have made them useful in this field followed by a more detailed discussion of specific liquid crystal devices that act as switchable optical components of refractive and diffractive types. The relative advantages and disadvantages of the different devices and techniques are summarised.

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