Abstract
Polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) have been extensively studied for use in new electro-optical applications, such as optical switches, smart windows, light shutters, and holographic films because PDLC films are easy to prepare for a large area displays, and their light transmittance is much higher than conventional liquid crystal (LC) displays. PDLCs are dispersed micro-sized LC droplets in a continuous polymer matrix. It is generally known that the electro-optical properties of PDLC films are significantly affected by a number of parameters including the size and morphological shape of the LC domains, the kind of polymer matrix, and the anchoring properties. Therefore, the properties of the polymer matrix, including the polymer structure, the molecular weight, and others, play important roles in governing the electro-optical properties of PDLC films. Ryu et al. have studied the influence of stearyl methacrylate (SMA) content on the electro-optical properties of PDLCs prepared with monodispersed poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/LC microcapsules. They concluded that the threshold and driving voltages were improved when the SMA content increased. Kim et al. investigated the effect of prepolymer structure and oligomeric surface modifying agent (OSMA) on the electro-optical properties of PDLCs. The polypropylene glycoland polytetramethyl ether glycolbased polyurethane acrylates showed lower threshold operating voltages. Also, the contact angle of the resin surface with an LC drop increased, and domain size decreased significantly, with the addition of OSMA. Pogue et al. reported the monomer functionality effects in the anisotropic phase-separation of LCs. They found that lowering monomer functionality reduced the volume fraction of phase-separated domains in floodlit samples. Pan et al. revealed the effect of matrix composition on the electrooptical properties of PDLC. They found that the long-chain alkyl and mesogenic groups in methacrylate monomers greatly affected the saturation and threshold voltages as well as response time. Kundu et al. evaluated the dispersion of LC in the polymer matrix as well as the light transmission of PDLC governed, as governed by the nature of the polymer, its molecular weight, and the applied voltage. Schulte et al. reported the presence of fluorine atoms at the polymer/LC interface of homographic PDLC gratings can reduce the anchoring strength and the switching voltage. In previous work, we synthesized acrylamide-based polymers, that is, poly(acrylamide-styrene) and poly(acrylamidemethyl methacrylate), in the preparation of PDLC films. In this paper, we report the introduction of a fluorine group into acrylamide-based polymer chains, having investigated the effect of this functional group on the electro-optical properties of the PDLC films prepared from the polymers.
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