Electric field-induced blue phases in liquid-crystalline systems of high chirality and negative dielectric anisotropy

Abstract

Electric field effects on liquid-crystalline blue phases (BP) of high chirality and negative dielectric anisotropy have been studied by polarizing microscopy and reflection spectrometry. Temperature-electric field phase diagrams are presented and selective reflections of different blue phases in electric fields are shown. In systems showing only BP I and BP III but lacking a zero field BP II an electric field-induced blue phase was observed in the temperature region of BP III and was identified as a BP II.