Electro-Optical and Thermophysical Characterization of Poly (Tripropylene Glycol Di-Acrylate)/Liquid Crystal Composite Materials Prepared by Polymerization Induced Phase Separation

Abstract

This work examines the development and characterization of tripropylene glycol di-acrylate/liquid crystal E7 (TPGDA/LC E7) PDLCs composite materials (polymer-dispersed-liquid-crystals). These systems were produced by UV irradiation photopolymerization (PIPS) of a mixture of the monomer tripropylene glycol di-acrylate (TPGDA) and the liquid crystal E7 (LC E7, a mixture of three cyano-biphenyl and one cyano-terphenyl LCs), in the presence of 2 wt% (of the acrylate/E7 mixture) of a photoinitiator. Electro-optical, thermal and optical characterization was used to understand the effect of the LC concentration on the electro-optical and thermo-physical properties of these materials. Polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies were performed to observe the system morphology and to determine the transition temperatures of these materials, both as a function of their composition. The findings showed a slight variation of the nematic-isotropic transition temperature, TNI, of the LC E7 and of the glass transition temperature, Tg, of the TPGDA polymeric matrix as a function of the mass percentage of the LC E7. A very good electro-optical response for the composition 30/70 wt % TPGDA/LC E7 was obtained.