Large Electro-optic Kerr Effect in Polymer-Stabilized Liquid-Crystalline Blue Phases

A polymer-stabilized liquid-crystal blue phase with a Kerr constant 170 times larger than that of nitrobenzene is shown to be capable of microsecond electro-optical switching over a wide temperature range in flat Kerr cells, without need for additional surface processing to generate alignment. The Figure shows a polarizing optical micrograph, under crossed polarizers, of an in-plane switched Kerr cell containing the polymer-stabilized blue phase.