Direct-write orientation of charge-transfer liquid crystals enables polarization-based coding and encryption

Van Winkle, Madeline; Wallace, Harper W.; Smith, Niquana; Pomerene, Andrew T.; Wood, Michael G.; Kaehr, Bryan; Reczek, Joseph J.

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-72037-z

DOE OSTI · 1664466

Direct-write orientation of charge-transfer liquid crystals enables polarization-based coding and encryption

Van Winkle, Madeline·Wallace, Harper W.·Smith, Niquana·Pomerene, Andrew T.·Wood, Michael G.·Kaehr, Bryan·Reczek, Joseph J.

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Abstract

Abstract Optical polarizers encompass a class of anisotropic materials that pass-through discrete orientations of light and are found in wide-ranging technologies, from windows and glasses to cameras, digital displays and photonic devices. The wire-grids, ordered surfaces, and aligned nanomaterials used to make polarized films cannot be easily reconfigured once aligned, limiting their use to stationary cross-polarizers in, for example, liquid crystal displays. Here we describe a supramolecular material set and patterning approach where the polarization angle in stand-alone films can be precisely defined at the single pixel level and reconfigured following initial alignment. This capability enables new routes for non-binary information storage, retrieval, and intrinsic encryption, and it suggests future technologies such as photonic chips that can be reconfigured using non-contact patterning.

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37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY information storage liquid crystals self-assembly

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Van Winkle, Madeline, Wallace, Harper W., Smith, Niquana, Pomerene, Andrew T., Wood, Michael G., Kaehr, Bryan, Reczek, Joseph J.. 2020-09-18. Direct-write orientation of charge-transfer liquid crystals enables polarization-based coding and encryption. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72037-z

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