Effect of swelling on the cholesteric structure of ethyl‐cyanoethyl cellulose/crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) composite films

Abstract

AbstractThe swelling behavior of ethyl‐cyanoethyl cellulose [(E‐CE)C]/crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) [PAA] cholesteric liquid crystalline composite films and the structural variation of the cholesteric phase during the swelling and the drying process were studied. It was found that the wavelength of the selective reflection of the composite films was shifted to the long wavelength direction during swelling. Both the pitch of the cholesteric phase and the distance between neighboring molecular layers were increased, and the helix axis was inclined after swelling. Moreover, the swelling behavior of the composite films in water was reversible, which means that the optical properties and structural characters of the films could be changed back to their original states after the films were dried from the equilibrium swelling state. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3574–3578, 2004