Extremely High Kerr Constant and Low Operating Voltage in a Stable Room-Temperature Blue Phase III Derived from Three-Ring-Based Bent-Core Molecules

In this study, we used a new series of highly polar three-ring-based bent-core liquid crystals (BCLCs) to stabilize a wide temperature range of blue phase III (BPIII), including room temperature. A significant finding is the implementation of electro-optical (E-O) switching at room temperature in the current BPIII system. The observed Kerr constant ( K ) has an extraordinarily high value ( K ≈ 9.2 × 10 –9 m V –2 ) that exceeds all previously reported values in the category of BPIII materials. The extremely high value of K realizes the lowest operating voltage ( V on ≈ 3.3 V rms /μm) for BPIII. The measured values of K and V on in BPIII set a new limit for the experimentalist. The millisecond (ms) order response times are explained based on rotational viscosity. The present binary system of BPIII materials is an excellent choice for device application.