Observation of electric-field-driven modulated textures in cholesteric liquid crystal cells

Abstract

We observed the modulated textures in a planar-aligned cholesteric liquid crystal cell by applying an electric field parallel to its helical axis. In this system, the twist favored by the chirality competes with the applied electric field. This competition causes the system to develop a series of ordered textures, in the sequence of striped texture-hexagonal texture-striped texture, with the increase of electric field. Of these textures, the hexagonal texture was experimentally observed for the first time.