Observation of a new metastable liquid-crystalline phase in supercooled blue phase systems

Abstract
A new metastable liquid-crystalline phase BPS was observed in pure chiral compounds. The BPS is transformed reversibly from the supercooled BPI and is thermodynamically stable with respect to the BPI and metastable to the cholesteric phase. Rhombic single crystals of the BPS probably indicate a cubic lattice structure as in other BPs, but the lattice constant exhibits an anomalous temperature dependence.