Electro-optical Switching in Blue Phases Induced using a Binary System of a T-shaped Nematic Liquid Crystal and a Chiral Compound

Recently, we reported electro-optical switching in a blue phase III (BPIII) stabilized using a T-shaped chiral liquid crystal. For this study, we investigated electro-optical effects in BPIII and in BPII of a binary system of a non-chiral T-shaped nematic liquid crystal and a chiral compound. An electric-field-induced phase transition from BPIII to a nematic phase was achieved in binary and T-shaped chiral systems. Furthermore, response times for the binary system's rise and decay processes are independent of temperature, although the T-shaped chiral system shows temperature-dependent slowing of the decay process, The BPII showed electro-optical switching caused by lattice distortion. (C) 2008 The Japan Society of Applied Physics