Studies on electro-optical properties of polymer dispersed liquid crystals doped with reticular nanofiber films prepared by electrospinning

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this paper, polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films were made from a mixture of prepolymer, liquid crystal and reticular nanofibre films by the polymerisation induced phase separation (PIPS) process. By comparing the microstructure and electro-optical curves of samples with the different liquid crystal content, it was proved that the cavity size of the polymer network has the obvious effect on the electro-optical properties of the PDLC films. Reticular nanofibre films were introduced into samples with different liquid crystal content, and the changes in the polymer network and electro-optical properties of these samples were analysed with SEM images and electro-optical curves. It is established that electro-optical properties and structural peculiarities of PDLC doped with reticular nanofibre films were improved. When the thickness of the embedded nanofibre films continues to increase, the electro-optical properties of the PDLC films can continue to improve. Therefore, the development of reticular nanofibre films doped PDLC films with faster fall time, better contrast ratio will significantly enhance the potential technological applications of PDLC-based devices for smart windows, sensors and flexible devices.