Applications of ferroelectric particles/liquid crystal colloids

Abstract

Ferroelectric nanoparticles significantly improve properties of existing liquid crystals and benefit the performance of many devices. By changing a concentration and a type of ferroelectric particles one can affect physical properties of the nematic, smectic, and cholesteric liquid crystal materials, including the dielectric constants, the birefringence, the phase transition temperatures, and even the order parameter. We demonstrate the performance of these new materials in various devices, including displays, light modulators, and beam steering devices.