Left- and right-circularly polarized light-sensing based on colored and mechano-responsive chiral nematic liquid crystals

Soft Matter. 2017 Dec 20;14(1):27-30. doi: 10.1039/c7sm01975k.

Abstract

A liquid crystal host-guest system composed of achiral organic molecules (host) and colored chiral metal complexes (guest) was fabricated to sense both right- and left-handed circularly polarized light (r- and l-CPL), depending on the guest (dopant) concentration. The CPL-sensing can be reversibly turned on and off upon mechanical stress and heating.