Physicochemical properties of long-hydrocarbon-chain-silane-coated indium tin oxide glass for reverse-mode polymer-dispersed liquid crystals

Abstract

We prepared silane-coated indium tin oxide (ITO) glass having different surface energies and topologies by using dipping and evaporation methods with the silane solution. The silane-coated ITO glass samples were analysed using contact angles and atomic force microscopy. Liquid crystal (LC) cells with positive and negative dielectric LCs and a mixture of negative dielectric LCs and liquid crystalline monomers were viewed between crossed polarisers. The ITO glass prepared using the dipping method showed a rougher topology and higher surface energy than the ITO glass prepared using the evaporation method. LCs having positive and negative dielectric anisotropy showed vertical alignment on the silane-coated ITO glass samples as viewed between crossed polarisers. However, the mixture of negative dielectric LCs and liquid crystalline monomers showed vertical alignment only for the ITO glass prepared using the evaporation method. The evaporation method was used for fabrication of reverse-mode polymer-dispersed liquid crystals, and the crystals showed well-aligned vertical polymer networks, good reverse operational mode and a double-U-shaped graph around each 40° by the crystal rotation method.