Photonic Crystals Show Fast Response Speeds

A technique to restructure liquid crystals could lead to the development of fast-responding liquid crystals suitable for next-generation displays and advanced photonic applications such as mirrorless lasers, biosensors, and fast/slow light generation. The technique was developed by an international team of researchers from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan. The team worked with blue-phase liquid crystals, which typically self-assemble into a cubic photonic-crystal structure. The researchers believed that if the crystals were reconfigured, they could develop properties not present in their cubic form. After nearly two years of...