Ultrastable liquid crystalline blue phase from molecular synergistic self-assembly

Fabricating functional materials via molecular self-assembly is a promising approach, and precisely controlling the molecular building blocks of nanostructures in the self-assembly process is an essential and challenging task. Blue phase liquid crystals are fascinating self-assembled three-dimensional nanomaterials because of their potential information displays and tuneable photonic applications. However, one of the main obstacles to their applications is their narrow temperature range of a few degrees centigrade, although many prior studies have broadened it to tens via molecular design. In this work, a series of tailored uniaxial rodlike mesogens disfavouring the formation of blue phases are introduced into a blue phase system comprising biaxial dimeric mesogens, a blue phase is observed continuously over a temperature range of 280 degrees C, and the range remains over 132.0 degrees C after excluding the frozen glassy state. The findings show that the molecular synergistic self-assembly behavior of biaxial and uniaxial mesogens may play a crucial role in achieving the ultrastable three-dimensional nanostructure of blue phases. Blue phases are spatially ordered yet fragile liquid crystalline structures, bearing applications in optoelectronics and photonics. Hu et al. show that self-assembly within a mixture of different mesogens may significantly broaden the temperature range over which they are stable.

Automated summary

This study introduces a series of tailored uniaxial rodlike mesogens into a blue phase system comprising biaxial dimeric mesogens, resulting in the observation of a continuous blue phase over a temperature range. The findings suggest that synergistic self-assembly behavior of biaxial and uniaxial mesogens plays a crucial role in achieving ultra-stable three-dimensional nanostructures of blue phases.