Authors: Mujtaba Ellahi Fang Liu Ping Song Yanzi Gao Hui Cao M Y Rafique Murad Ali Khaskheli M Zubair Iqbal Huai Yang
Publish Date: 2013/08/01
Volume: 70, Issue: 11, Pages: 2967-2980
Abstract
Polymer dispersed liquid crystal PDLC films were prepared by polymerizationinduced phase separation method with nematic LC content as low as 40 wt and the electrooptical properties were carefully investigated To accomplish this the structure of multifunctional curable epoxy monomers with different composition feed ratios and the weight percentages of the two groups were examined in this study The combined effects of heatcurable monomers’ structure on the conspicuous morphology of polymer network of PDLC films formed small holes and suitably distributed coinlike networks in both groups A and B respectively The detailed characteristics and morphology of polymer network of PDLC films were analyzed by employing liquid crystal device parameter tester UVVisNIR spectrophotometer and scanning electron microscope Meanwhile the enhanced curing temperature effects on the alkyl chain length short flexible chain length and rigid chain segment containing epoxy monomers structure on the increasing morphology of polymer network as well as electrooptical properties of PDLC films were also studied It was found that the LC domain size of the polymer network could be regulated by adjusting the structure and composition ratio of curable epoxy monomers and then the electrooptics of the PDLC films could be optimized which is beneficial for decreasing the total LC content in PDLC devicesThis work was supported by the National Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars Grant No 51025313 the National Natural Science Foundation Grant No 50973010 the National Natural Science Foundation Grant No 51173003 the National Natural Science Foundation Grant No 51143001 the Research Fund of the State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials the Open Research Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics Southeast University and the Fundamental Research Funds for t he Central Universities Grant NoFRFTP12032A
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