One-dimensional model for simulating blue-phase liquid crystal display

ABSTRACT

We proposed a one-dimensional model for simulating some performances of blue-phase liquid crystal (BPLC) and polymer-stabilised blue-phase liquid crystal (PSBPLCD). The one-dimensional model treats liquid crystal arrangement of BPLC as cholesteric liquid crystal with high and uniform tilt angle to simulate the Bragg reflection of BPLC. The simulated results agree quite well with the experimental results. The elastic and dynamical equations are formed to calculate the effective elastic parameters and the response times of PSBPLCD. The effective elastic parameter is a constant for low electric field and decreases with the increasing of electric field. The varied effective elastic parameter means the varied restoring force of liquid crystal under the electric field. The dynamical equations are proposed to calculate response times, and the response mechanism of BPLCD is discussed by researching the difference between the decay times from equation and experiment. The sub-millisecond response time results from the weak anchoring of polymer network or the increasing of rotational viscosity of PSBPLC with high-concentration monomer, and the reason of 10 µs response time is the strong anchoring and small amount of chiral dopant and monomer.

Graphical Abstract

KEYWORDS:

• BPLCD
• Bragg reflection
• one-dimensional model
• response time

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant Numbers 11304074, 61475042, 11504080 and 11274088] and of Hebei Province [Grant Numbers A2015202320 and GCC2014048] and the Key Subject Construction Project of Hebei Province University.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant Numbers 11304074, 61475042, 11504080, 11274088]; National Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province [Grant Numbers A2015202320 and GCC2014048]; and the Key Subject Construction Project of Hebei Province University.