A new optical–electrical switching material was synthesized, and it is much superior to the predominant multifunctional devices.

We directly measure the field-free molecular alignment of various room-temperature molecular gases based on alignment-induced spatial focusing and defocusing effects. By imaging the spatial profile of a time-delayed probe pulse with increased and decreased local intensity at the beam center, the parallel and perpendicular molecular alignments are clearly characterized. Meanwhile, the electronic Kerr effect, weak plasma contribution and field-free molecular alignment impact could be distinguished from the measured signals.

Liquid crystals with a large negative dielectric anisotropy are difficult to align vertically on silicon oxide surfaces and sometimes even on polyimides. An interesting method has been found to generate high quality vertical alignment by doping the host liquid crystal with materials that have a cyanogroup along their long molecular axis. The effect is explained by considering both long range and short range interactions between liquid crystal and the alignment layer. Using this method we propose a way to design new liquid crystal mixtures with large negative dielectric anisotropy that have improved aligning ability for applications requiring vertical alignment. The method also allows for increased birefringence.

Photoelectric dual-function features in bulk crystals or flexible thin films make them excellent candidates for important and thriving applications in storage, sensing and other information fields. Based on superior advantages such as easy and environmentally friendly processing, mechanical flexibility, and ability to fabricate films and bulk single crystals; we designed a type of molecular material with a photoelectric multi-function switch, [N(NHCHCH)]MnCl (compound 1), which exhibits intriguing temperature-dependent dielectric and red emission switchable characteristics. This material perfectly explains the advantages of molecular materials, while 1 can also be used to fabricate a transparent unidirectional film with ultra-flexibility. Moreover, this material shows the highest record in signal contrast of ∼5 (exceeding all the known molecular materials/crystalline switches, revealing its potential to obtain high-efficiency signal-to-noise ratio), sensitive dielectric bi-stability, and excellent switching anti fatigue. These features give it a high application value in integrated circuits, optoelectronic seamless integration devices and flexible multifunctional devices.

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