Thermoelectro-optical switching properties in glass-forming calamitic liquid crystal mixtures

The mixtures of liquid crystalline derivatives of (Beta) -naphtol esters forming glassy state above room temperature were studied. Nematic and chiral dopants were used to modify mixture properties. Several orienting layers were applied and the thickness of electro-optic cell was between 1.8 and 10 micrometers . Studies of thermo-electro-optical changes of molecular orientations are presented (viz. local cholesteric nematic phase transition and Freedericksz- effect). It is shown that the local change of orientation can be frozen into glassy state and long- time preserved without the orienting field. Relaxation processes appear after the temperature increases above T(subscript g$. The effects of changing molecular orientation stimulated by variations of electric field and temperature can be applied for reversible optical data storage and erasure. The temperature and thickness dependencies of cell parameters were also measured.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.