Optically isotropic-nanostructured liquid crystal composite with high Kerr constant

The relationship between material parameters of host nematic liquid crystals (LCs) and Kerr constant of their nanostructured chiral LC composites was investigated. We made certain that the Kerr constant of nanostrutured chiral LC composites was closely related to the parameters of their host LCs, such as value of the difference of refractive index (Delta n), the dielectric anisotropy (Delta epsilon), and bend to splay elastic constant ratio (K-33/K-11). (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.