A monodomain-like liquid-crystalline simple cubic blue phase II

Abstract

In this work, a systematic approach to controlling the orientation of a liquid-crystalline simple cubic blue phase (BPII) was carried out using a conventional surface rubbing treatment method. A more uniform lattice plane alignment in BPII was produced than in the liquid-crystalline-body-centered blue phase (BPI) using rubbed polyimide (PI) films on glass substrates. A single-color monodomain-like BPII was achieved regardless of the rubbed PI substrate pretilt angle. Additionally, single-color monodomain-like BPIIs with three elementary colors (red, green, and blue) were prepared, simply by changing the percentage of the chiral dopant.