Stabilization of cholesteric blue phases using polymerized nanoparticles

This study explores the roles of UV-polymerizable silicon-based nanoparticles in polymer-stabilized blue phase (PSBP) liquid crystals. Our analysis reveals that the polymerized polymer leads to widening of the temperature range of the blue phase and stabilization of the reflection wavelength against temperature variations. A polymer morphology study of PSBP reveals the polydomain nature of the blue phase. In practical application, the advantage of the low-surface-energy property of the UV-polymerizable silicon-based nanoparticles leads to a significant reduction in switching voltage from 140 to 40 V.