Self-Organized 3D Photonic Superstructure: Blue Phase Liquid Crystal

Abstract

Blue phase liquid crystals (BPLCs) have attracted considerable attention in recent years owing to their unique periodic structure and electro-optic properties. Besides the potential applications in the next generation display, BPLC with a cubic lattice structure can be regarded as a self-organized three-dimenstional (3D) photonic crystal that can be applied for photonic devices such as optical filter, optical attenuator, phase modulator, laser source and so on. This chapter will introduce the formation of BPLCs from both theoretical and experimental points of view. The stability and temperature range of BPLCs are also discussed followed by its photonic crystal structure, lattice orientation and phase identification. After a basic overview, this chapter will further introduce the applications of BPLCs, including controllability of photonic band gap with external fields, fast electro-optic Kerr effect, and optical nonlinear effect. This short summary shows that the century old intriguing BPLCs have diverse opportunities to offer in modern photonic materials and devices. Moreover, the current challenges in this area are expected to spark innovative ideas leading toward the design and engineering of new chiral materials that may furnish suitable BPLCs to produce advanced photonic materials that have desirable properties and functions.