Reflection band, chiral nematics

Figure 4.6-13 Optical rotation q recorded as outlined in Fig. 4.6-12 Spectra of two differently concentrated solutions of S-tyrosine-methylester in the nematic mixture EBBA/MBBA (equimolar mixture of N-(p-ethoxybenzylidene)-p - -butylaniline and its methoxy analogue 2 of Table 4.6-1 Riedel-de Haen), left RCE (molar fraction x fa 0.024) related to the selective reflection band indicating pitch and handedness of the. structure, thus characterizing the chirality of the solute molecules by the helical twisting power right Sequence of ACE (,v se 0.0024, therefore the RCE should occur around 200 cm ) each of which indicates the induced handedness and therefore, discriminates enantiomers (Koite, 1978).

The phototuning of BPs can also be fabricated in a pure material system [147]. Das et al. reported a light-induced stable blue phase in photoresponsive diphen-ylbutadiene based mesogen 37. This compound was found to exhibit SmA and N during heating. When the temperature was kept at 118 °C, the photoisomerization induced an isothermal phase transition from SmA to N. Photoirradiation of the SmA film held at a higher temperature (124 °C) for 100 s resulted in transition to a phase with a characteristic classical BP texture showing in Fig. 5.30. The BP was thermodynamically stable and could be maintained at this state for several hours. The characteristic sharp reflection bands compared to the rather broad reflection bands observed for the chiral nematic phase confirmed the formation of BP. The photoinduced formation of the BP exhibited a reflection centered at 510 nm. Subsequent irradiation led to the blue shift to 480 nm in the reflection band. 

S.H. Chen, R.J. Jin, D. Katsis, J.C. Mastrangelo, S. Papernov, A.W. Schmid, Photoracemization broadening of selective reflection and polarization band of glassy chiral-nematic films. Liq. Cryst. 27, 201-209 (2000)... 

It is weU known that E Z photoisomerization of azobenzene-containing LC molecules can lead to a nematic-to-isotropic transition as well as photochromism [167]. It was reported that UV irradiation of a nematic mixture doped by chiral azobenzene bent-core LCs leads to the N -I transition and shift in selective reflection band position of the N phase [177]. These chiral bent-core molecules can induce the N helix upon doping them into a nematic base mixture, and their helical twisting power (HTP) is given by P = UPC where P is the helical pitch length, and C is the concentration of a chiral dopant. The P value for the exclusively E isomer is maximum and decreases with the increase in the ratio of the Z isomer. UV irradiation causes E Z conversion, therefore increasing the helical pitch and shifting the selective reflection band of the N phase. 

The dramatic variation of liquid crystalline properties with respect to temperature has resulted in the widespread use of cholesteric (chiral nematic) liquid crystals for thermography. The property that has been exploited most in liquid crystal thermography is the critical temperature dependence of the selective reflection from cholesteric liquid crystals, though other temperature dependent properties of mesophases have been utilized (e.g. the birefringence of nematic systems and selective reflection from other chiral phases). The helicoidal structure of cholesteric materials results in the selective reflection of visible light within a band of wavelengths of width AX, centered at a wavelength Xq, such that ... 

For light of wavelength Aj incident on a planar chiral nematic texture of pitch p, the optical rotatory power is extremely high (i.e., lO " degrees/mm) outside the specular reflection band, i.e.,... 

Fig. 1.8 The twisted nematic N (cholesteric) structure, formed by chiral modifications of nematic compounds tmd by non-chiral nematagens doped with chiral solutes. Where the pitch of this helicoidal stiucture is comparable with the wavelength of light, the phase gives iridescent reflections. Larger pitch structures, where the repeat distance can be resolved in the optical microscope, appear as fingerprint textures with bands separated by half a pitch. Helicoidal structures of this type are common in biological material, most obviously in the carapaces of iridescent beetles. Their electron microscope pictures show a characteristic pattern of nested arcs, known as Bouligand patterns [4]...

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