Broad ranges and fast responses of single-component blue-phase liquid crystals containing banana-shaped 1,3,4-oxadiazole cores

In this study, we synthesized two novel 1,3,4-oxadiazole-based bent-core liquid crystals (OXD7, OXD5B7F) containing a chiral tail that display broad ranges of the blue phase III (34 and 7 K, respectively); we characterized them using polarized optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and circular dichroism. The electro-optical responses of both of these liquid crystals are much faster than those of previously reported single-component blue-phase liquid crystals. To optimize its electro-optical performance, we mixed OXD7* (the blue-phase range of which is broader than that of OXD5B7F) with its analogue OXD6 (at weight ratios of 6:4 and 4:6). We also performed molecular modeling of single-component BPLCs (OXD7* and OXD5B7F) to analyze the possible parameters affecting their blue phase ranges.