Curvature-Dependent Phase Manipulation of Monodomain Three-Dimensional Helical Superstructures from Soft Confined...

Blue-phase liquid crystals (BPLCs) have garnered significant research interest due to their unique soft helical superstructure, wherein double-twisted cylinders spontaneously assemble into three-dimensional cubic lattices, exhibiting exceptional light-matter interactions, including chiroptical and omnidirectional optical properties. However, it remains a challenge for the precise microfabrication and phase control of monodomain BPLC microcavity arrays, which severely limit their application in integrated photonic devices. Herein, we develop a soft-confined assembly strategy for the aligned patterning of monodomain BPLCs. The confined geometry with a controlled curvature can effectively regulate the nucleation kinetics and phase transition behavior of BPLCs. We achieve precise phase control from BPII to BPI by programmable manipulation of the nucleation energy barriers, enabling the fabrication of a quadruple-mode optical encryption. This work not only establishes robust fabrication for high-resolution monodomain BPLC microcavity arrays but also provides new opportunities for advanced applications in optical communications and laser displays.