Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39797473›Full record

ArticleAdvanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)2025

Electrically Switchable Multi-Stable Topological States Enabled by Surface-Induced Frustration in Nematic Liquid Crystal Cells.

Jelto Neirynck, Yu-Tung Hsiao, Migle Stebryte, Inge Nys

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jelto NeirynckLiquid Crystals and Photonics Group, Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 126, Ghent, 9052, Belgium.
Yu-Tung HsiaoLiquid Crystals and Photonics Group, Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 126, Ghent, 9052, Belgium.
Migle StebryteLiquid Crystals and Photonics Group, Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 126, Ghent, 9052, Belgium.
Inge NysLiquid Crystals and Photonics Group, Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 126, Ghent, 9052, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8191-8128

Funding

FWO Postdoctoral Fellowship (Research Foundation - Flanders) 1257423NPhD Strategic Basic Research grant of the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) 1SHF924NResearch Foundation - Flanders (FWO) G0C2121N
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In liquid crystal (LC) cells, the surface patterning directs the self-assembly of the uniaxial building blocks in the bulk, enabling the design of stimuli-response optical devices with various functionalities. The combination of different anchoring patterns at both substrates can lead to surface induced frustration, preventing a purely planar and defect-free configuration. In cells with crossed assembly of rotating anchoring patterns, elastic deformations allow to obtain a defect-free bulk configuration, but an electrical stimulus can induce disclination lines. The disclination network is preserved without applied voltage. Depending on the electric field treatment and geometrical parameters, different multi-stable states with and without disclinations are obtained. This is demonstrated with the help of dual-frequency LCs, for which the frequency dependent dielectric properties allow repeatable switching between multi-stable states. Topological protection and the associated energy barrier between different states explains the observed metastability. The obtained configurations are retrieved with Q-tensor simulations and the validity is confirmed by matching optical simulations with experimentally obtained microscopy images. The realized multi-stable topological states interact differently with light, resulting in distinct optical properties. Optimization allows to switch between a highly transparent state and an opaque state, opening up opportunities for smart windows with low energy consumption.

Indexed as

disclination linesdual‐frequency nematic liquid crystalselectrical switchingmulti‐stabilityphotoalignment patterning

Identifiers

PMID39797473
PMCPMC11938017

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.