1c03 Extraordinary phase behavior in a liquid crystal

Abstract

A new series of non-symmetric calamitic liquid crystal forming dimers based on a cholesterol group in the terminal have been synthesized and characterized by polarizing microscopy, high sensitive differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. It is shown that a metastable blue phase, existing in between isotropic and lower nematic-like phase over 30 degrees only on cooling, is very stable with respect to an external electric field; The electrostriction and kerr response were observed without any electric field-induced phase transition from blue phase to cholesteric phase even under very high electric field strength, 〜20 V/μm. The detailed discussions will be made on the conference.