Simulation of a blue-phase liquid crystal cell using a multi-angle director model

A multi-angle director model is proposed to simulate and interpret the electro-optical characteristics of a blue-phase liquid crystal (BPLC) cell driven by vertical and horizontal electric fields. Instead of employing the Kerr effect, the BPLC cell is considered as a stack of several high-pretilt nematic liquid crystal layers that can be simulated using the director model. Simulations are performed based on the director model and results are compared with those obtained with Kerr-effect-based methods. The theoretical model successfully simulated the electro-optical characteristics of the BPLC, consistent with experimental data. Hence, the model is expected to aid the design of next-generation BPLC displays.