Effect of anisotropic lattice deformation on the Kerr coefficient of polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystals

Abstract

We investigate the effect of anisotropic lattice deformation on the Kerr coefficient of polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystals (PSBP-LCs). PSBPs with orthorhombic and tetragonal symmetry were prepared by polymer-stabilizing a blue-phase liquid crystal under electrostriction. Both orthorhombic and tetragonal PSBPs showed smaller Kerr coefficients than the cubic PSBP, despite an increase in the unit cell volume caused by the elongation of the lattice along the direction of light propagation. Our results indicate that the Kerr coefficient of PSBPs is not determined simply by the volume of the unit lattice but by the lattice size perpendicular to the direction of light propagation. © 2014 American Physical Society.