Abstract
A new and reliable formulation has been developed for the preparation of gel−glass dispersed liquid crystal (GDLC) thin films using the sol−gel technique. Liquid crystal (LC) droplets were formed in-situ during the drying process of the applied films. Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and different triethoxysilanes (R-TES) were used as precursors for the preparation of gel−glass−LC composites resulting in silica or organically modified silica matrixes (Ormosils). The usage of different precursors resulted in GDLCs with different electrooptical behavior due to the anchoring strength of the matrix surface to the LC molecules in the droplets. Samples prepared from TEOS or mixed TEOS/Me-TES precursors showed switching times between ON and OFF states of 10 and 300 ms, respectively, and required peak-to-peak voltages (Vp-p) of 200−300 V for operation. On the other hand, samples using TEOS/Et-TES and TEOS/Pr-TES precursors mixtures required much lower activation voltages of 100 and 40 V, respectively, and exhibited a very slow electrooptical response ranging between 1 and 3 s.
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