胆甾液晶二氮杂冠醚-Eu(Ⅲ)配合物LB膜和荧光性质研究

研究了胆甾液晶二氮杂冠醚N,N'-双[胆甾-5-烯-3β-氧羰甲基]-1,10-二氮-4,7,13,16-四氧环十八烷(1)及其与Eu³⁺的配合物(2)、2与苯甲酸的混配物(3)的LB膜和荧光性质.结果表明:1、2和3都在水溶液亚相液面形成稳定的单分子膜,但只有1的单分子面积受亚相pH的影响.1、2和3的单分子膜都容易转移到石英基片上形成LB膜,其中2和3为X型,转移比分别为0.6和1.0.在LB膜中,在2的荧光激发波长范围比在溶液中的宽,荧光强度也比在溶液中的强得多.在2中添加苯甲酸形成3可改善LB膜中分子有序排列,荧光强度增强到无苯甲酸时的2.0倍.所有这些LB膜,即使添加了苯甲酸的,都不是很稳定.     

Side-chain cholesteric liquid crystalline elastomers derived from a mesogenic crosslinking agent: I. Synthesis and mesomorphic properties

The synthesis of new side-chain cholesteric elastomers derived from a cholesteric monomer and mesogenic crosslinking agent is presented. The chemical structures of the monomers obtained were confirmed by elemental analyses, FT-IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR. The mesomorphic properties and thermal stability were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), polarizing optical microscopy (POM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. M₁ showed cholesteric phase, and M₂ displayed enantiotropic nematic phase and monotropic smectic phase. The elastomers containing less than 12 mol% of the crosslinking units revealed reversible mesomorphic phase transition, wide mesophase temperature ranges, and high thermal stability.     

A new-type composite film of cholesteric liquid crystal doped with PCBM for laser-damage prevention in both visible and near-infrared region

Nowadays, with the increasing use of high-power laser, research and development of laser-damage prevention materials with multifunctional features and wideband wavelengths are urgent and indispensable. In the paper, cholestric liquid crystal (ChLC) is first proposed to be doped with a high-efficiency optical limiting material, 6, 6-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), to fabricate a new-type laser-damage-prevention film. The ChLCs have the desired reflection wavelengths covering 750–2300 nm, which is an effective and potential candidate for the prevention of continuous or tuneable laser in near infrared (NIR) region. Meanwhile, the solubility of PCBM in LC and its nonlinear absorption property of are discussed, and it was proved that the good solubility of PCBM in LC contributed to the excellent nonlinear absorption of mixture (LC doped with PCBM). Taking advantages of this phenomenon, a novel composite film of ChLCs doped with PCBM is prepared by UV polymerization. As a result, the composite film not only performs broadband reflection in NIR region, but also exhibits a strong nonlinear absorption and excellent optical limiter properties in visible region, which proves the film's potential application in laser damage prevention.     

Texture evolution of cholesteric liquid crystal driven by a thermal process

Cholesteric liquid crystal displays (Ch-LCDs) have potential as screens in portable readers. In the present study, it is demonstrated that a Ch-LCD can be driven by a thermal process at a temperature of 90 °C. At a suitable temperature, the texture of the cholesteric liquid crystal will be transfrred from planar to focal conic. The experimental results show that the reflectance of a Ch-LCD is influenced by texture after the thermal process. After thermal treatment at 90 °C, the periodicity was reduced from 63 nm to 55 nm. A chain tilting angle of ∼29° was estimated.     

Cholesteric gratings induced by electric field in mixtures of liquid crystal and novel chiral ionic liquid

Formation of gratings upon alternating electric field in compositions of highly birefringent liquid crystal (LC) with novel chiral ionic liquid (CIL) enclosed in 10-µm-thick cells is studied. The compatibility of two organic components of the mixture is investigated. The grating is formed in 1–5% CIL mixtures and causes significant changes of the transmission of polarised light through the cells. Transmission of polarised λ = 633 nm light through the 5% CIL sample is studied with respect to frequency (1 Hz–3 MHz) and amplitude (up to 10 V) of alternating voltage and the results are used for sketch a voltage–frequency phase diagram. Two possible ways of formation of the gratings with perpendicular orientation to that formed from initial state are presented. Two twisting axes in the molecular alignments of the cholesteric LC gratings with perpendicular directions are proposed. Optical switch based on four different states of LC including two gratings with perpendicular directions is proposed. Moreover, behaviour of the rotation of a grating induced by AC field in hybrid planar-homeotropic cell is studied in two frequency regimes and rotation by more than 90° upon change of the AC field amplitude is observed.     

Printable flexible cholesteric capsule display with a fine resolution of RGB subpixels

We report a method for fabricating a cholesteric liquid crystal capsule display wherein the red, green, and blue capsules are separated in the subpixels with a width of 200 μm. The mixture of a photo-isomerizable chiral dopant and a nematic liquid crystal was encapsulated by an emulsification technique, and then directly printed onto a plastic substrate. A UV light with different amount of energy was exposed through a shadow photomask, and consequently, the red, green, and blue colors were separately induced in each subpixels zone.     

Biphotonic effect-induced phase transition in dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystals and their applications

This work studies the biphotonic effect in samples that are cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) doped with azo-C5. The experimental results show that the photo-isomerization of azo-C5 not only changes the clearing point of the sample, but also shifts the reflection band that is associated with the planar texture. Additionally, azo dye-doped CLCs (DDCLCs) have bi-stable or tri-stable states, as determined by the ambient temperature. Photo-switching between these bi-stable/tri-stable states is systematically studied. The result indicates that photo-addressing one of these states (planar, focal conic, and isotropic states) using a low- or high-intensity Ar⁺ laser beam is feasible. The results thus obtained are used to fabricate a photo-rewritable DDCLC display.     

胆甾液晶／聚合物多组分体系的结构与性质研究──I．胆甾醇壬酸酯／聚（甲基丙烯酸甲酯－甲基丙烯酸丁酯）混合体系的相变行为

应用ＤＳＣ、偏光显微镜和动态力学分析，研究了胆甾液晶与甲基丙烯酸甲酯－甲基丙烯酸丁酯无规共聚物共混体系的相容性及相态转变．表明共聚物的组成、分子量大小可抑制胆甾液晶的相态转变．给出了形成稳定相容的液晶／高分子体系的最佳条件．     

Steady low shear rate cholesteric flow normal to the helical axis

Steady cholesteric flow at low shear rate normal to the helical axis is studied analytically for shear flow and plane Poiseuille flow on the basis of Leslie’s continuum theory. For general asymmetric solutions the angle made by the director at the sample centre with the primary flow is found to profoundly affect the oscillations of the apparent viscosity with pitch for pitches of the order of the sample thickness. The velocity and orientation profiles are also found to change drastically. These considerations may be important in flow experiments on long pitch cholesterics.     

Synthesis and properties of new chiral mesogenic monomers and side-chain smectic homopolymers containing (−)-menthyl groups

The synthesis of new chiral monomers (M₁−M₅) and the corresponding smectic homopolymers (P₁−P₅) containing menthyl groups is described. The chemical structures and purity were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR and elemental analyses. The specific optical rotations were evaluated with a polarimeter. The phase behavior and mesomorphism were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, polarizing optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The selective reflection property of light was studied with UV/visible/NIR. The monomers M₂−M₅ formed a chiral smectic C , and cholesteric or blue phase when a flexible linkage chain was inserted between the mesogenic core and the terminal menthyl groups by reducing the steric effect. M₁ showed no mesomorphism, while M₂−M₅ showed enantiotropic and cholesteric phases. Moreover, M₅ also exhibited a cubic blue phase on cooling. With increasing temperature, the selective reflection of light shifted to the long wavelength region at the phase range, and to the short wavelength region at the cholesteric phase range, respectively. The homopolymers P₁−P₅ all exhibited the batonnet textures of a smectic A phase. The melting, clearing, and glass transition temperatures increased, and the mesophase temperature ranges widened with increasing the aryl number in the mesogenic core.