Specific features of the freedericksz transition in nematic-cholesteric droplets: The effect of the liquid crystal-isotropic phase boundary

Quasi-static orientation transitions in nematic-cholesteric liquid crystal (LC) droplets occurring in an isotropic environment in a constant electric field have been studied. It is shown that transformation of the initial homeotropic orientation of the director field in these LC droplets has a non-threshold character, which is related to the presence of a small cholesteric additive. As the field increases, this dopant leads to continuous growth in the effective size of a deformation field from the LC-isotropic phase interface.