Liquid Crystalline Polymers Research Articles

New types of reflective periodical structures in the material with bulk photoalignment of LC polymer using UV polarization holography

Two types of new periodical polarization structures generated by UV polarization holography in thin solid films of LC photosensitive polymer (LCP) due to bulk photo-alignment were experimentally demonstrated. The first type of the structures is similar to cholesteric ones. However, these structures fabricated just by means of optical exposure without chiral dopants. Such technique overcomes some restrictions of alternative known methods of chiral structures fabrications using chiral dopant (e.g., arbitrary orientation of the LC planes). The second type is a new one, which can be realized only using the developed material approach with bulk photo-alignment. This structure is similar to known transmission circular polarization gratings, but the axis is rotated by 90°. The fringes (the planes of equal orientation of LC) in such structures are almost parallel to the layer, and the LC orientation is changing periodically across the layer from in-plane to the perpendicular position. Both new regular periodical structures can be used as volume reflective polarization gratings with several unique properties suitable for the numerous optical applications, including display ones. Specific suggestions for improving the quality of new holographic LC-structures are offered.

15‐3: Reflective Liquid Crystal Polarization Volume Grating for SWIR with High Diffraction Efficiency and Large Diffraction Angle and Sensor Application

We have developed a reflective polarization volume grating using liquid crystal polymer for SWIR with high efficiency and a large diffraction angle. By using this grating and a lightguide system, we demonstrated a sensor system that can capture identical images simultaneously in both visible and SWIR light.

Circularly Polarized Perovskite Luminescence in Composite Films with High Flexibility and Stability

AbstractFlexible circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) exhibits significant potential for applications in smart wearable devices and high‐end anti‐counterfeiting. However, existing technologies suffer from low dissymmetry factor (glum) and poor mechanical reliability. Here, a metal halide perovskite is employed as the emitter to construct efficient and robust flexible CPL films through a facile strategy of bilayer stacking, which comprises a layer of perovskite nanocrystalline embedded polymer film and a layer of photonic crystal film based on polymerized chiral liquid crystals (LCs). The photoluminescence efficiency of perovskite nanocrystals in polyacrylonitrile (PAN) matrix is improved by incorporating an appropriate amount of phenylethylammonium bromide (PEABr) as a passivation agent, and the helical arrangement and optical activity of free‐standing flexible photonic crystal films are found to be highly related to the supporting substrates. Upon stacking, the resulting flexible composite film exhibits extremely high |glum| values of up to 1.81, representing the highest value among reported flexible CPL‐active films. Moreover, the composite films demonstrate remarkable mechanical robustness, which shows negligible degradation in terms of glum value even after 1000 bending cycles at a bending radius of 2 mm. Based on the flexible CPL‐active films, advanced anti‐counterfeit labels with switchable patterns under circular polarizers are demonstrated.

Stiffness anisotropy coordinates supracellular contractility driving long-range myotube-ECM alignment.

The ability of cells to organize into tissues with proper structure and function requires the effective coordination of proliferation, migration, polarization, and differentiation across length scales. Skeletal muscle is innately anisotropic; however, few biomaterials can emulate mechanical anisotropy to determine its influence on tissue patterning without introducing confounding topography. Here, we demonstrate that substrate stiffness anisotropy coordinates contractility-driven collective cellular dynamics resulting in C2C12 myotube alignment over millimeter-scale distances. When cultured on mechanically anisotropic liquid crystalline polymer networks (LCNs) lacking topography, C2C12 myoblasts collectively polarize in the stiffest direction. Cellular coordination is amplified through reciprocal cell-ECM dynamics that emerge during fusion, driving global myotube-ECM ordering. Conversely, myotube alignment was restricted to small local domains with no directional preference on mechanically isotropic LCNs of the same chemical formulation. These findings provide valuable insights for designing biomaterials that mimic anisotropic microenvironments and underscore the importance of stiffness anisotropy in orchestrating tissue morphogenesis.

A multi-element encrypted and decrypted photoresponsive liquid crystal polymer network through the cooperation of cyanostilbene and spiropyran

Photoresponsive polymer materials, in particular, light-driven liquid crystal polymer networks (LCNs) have attracted much attention due to their rapid and significant capacity for photodeformation. However, a single shape change could not meet the growing needs of the information encryption field. Therefore, we aimed to find a photoluminescent and photochromic LCN to enrich the application of photodeformable materials. Here, a light-driven LCN consisting of two distinct kinds of photosensitive moieties, cyanostilbene (CS) and spiropyran (SP), named CS∙SP∙LCN, has been designed and synthesized. The resultant LCN film displayed multiple photo/thermal responsive properties. On the one hand, the trans–cis photoisomerization of CS gave the film capacity for photodeformation. On the other hand, the reversible conversion between ring-closed SP and ring-opened merocyanine (MC) under alternating stimulation of UV irradiation and heating gave the film capacity for tunable photoluminescence and photochromism. The CS∙SP∙LCN film can bend and change color/luminescence under UV irradiation, leading to multi-element writing simultaneously. Then, the written information could be hidden by heating and stretching. Notably, the film resumed bending after the second heating due to the good stability of the cis isomer of CS, realizing the first decryption. Finally, the color/luminescence of the film resumed after the second UV irradiation, completing the second decryption of the information. The CS∙SP∙LCN films synthesized in this study could realize multi-element encryption and step-by-step decryption through the cooperation of CS and SP, achieving more advanced information storage and encryption possibilities.

LCP-Based Low-Cost Base Station Antenna for 3.7 GHz 5G Band

This paper presents a large-scale base station antenna assembly structure that is low-cost, reliable, and easy to manufacture. The antenna element is composed of a low-loss liquid crystal polymer based on a plastic molded module and a modified wideband stacked patch antenna. The base station antenna consists of a 4 × 8 antenna module, with each module comprising 3 × 1 subarrays along with dual-polarized antenna elements. The antenna element achieved an efficiency of 91% and an impedance bandwidth of 1.14 GHz within a height of 10 mm at 3.7 GHz. Furthermore, the fabricated array antenna structure was tested and verified to have an effective isotropic radiated power of 75.6 dBm at boresight and a steering range of less than ±60°. Therefore, the proposed structure meets the required antenna and beam-forming performance for commercial 5G active antenna systems.

Circularly polarised luminescence of cholesteric polymer composite with high concentration of europium complex

ABSTRACT A novel method has been developed for fabricating cholesteric liquid crystal polymer composite containing a luminescent europium complex. It involves creating porous cholesteric polymer networks, introducing the europium complex into the pores and encapsulating it through the UV-induced polymerisation of a nematic diacrylate. The resulting composite exhibits bright red luminescence upon excitation by UV light which is strongly circularly polarised. Such materials have potential applications in display technologies, counterfeit protection and other fields.

Effects of Composition and Polymerization Conditions on the Electro-Optic Performance of Liquid Crystal-Polymer Composites Doped with Ferroelectric Nanoparticles.

The presence of a polymer network and/or the addition of ferroelectric nanoparticles to a nematic liquid crystal are found to lower transition temperatures and birefringence, which indicates reduced orientational order. In addition, the electro-optic switching voltage is considerably increased when a polymer network is formed by in situ polymerization in the nematic state. However, the resulting polymer network liquid crystal switches at similar voltages as the neat liquid crystal when polymerization is performed at an elevated temperature in the isotropic state. When nanoparticle dispersions are polymerized at an applied DC voltage, the transition temperatures and switching voltages are reduced, yet they are larger than those observed for polymer network liquid crystals without nanoparticles polymerized in the isotropic phase.

Interfacial Charge Transport Enhancement of Liquid-Crystalline Polymer Transistors Enabled by Ionic Polyurethane Dielectric.

In organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) using disordered organic semiconductors, interface traps that hinder efficient charge transport, stability, anddevice performance are inevitable. Benchmark poly(9,9-dioctylfuorene-co-bithiophene) (F8T2) liquid-crystalline polymer semiconductor has been extensively investigated for organic electronic devices due to its promising combination of charge transport and light emission properties. This study demonstrates that high-capacitance single-layered ionic polyurethane (PU) dielectrics enable enhanced charge transport in F8T2 OFETs. The ionic PU dielectrics are composed of a mild blending of PU ionogel and PU solution, thereby forming a solid-state film with robust interfacial characteristics with semiconductor layer and gate electrode in OFETs and measuring high capacitance values above 10 µF cm-2 owing to the combined dipole polarization and electric double layer formation. The optimized fabricated ionic PU-gated OFETs exhibit a low-voltage operation at -3V with a remarkable hole mobility of over 5 cm2 V-1 s-1 (average = 2.50 ± 1.18 cm2 V-1 s-1), which is the highest mobility achieved so far for liquid-crystalline F8T2 OFETs. This device also provides excellent bias-stable characteristics in ambient air, exhibiting a negligible threshold voltage shift of -0.03V in the transfer curves after extended bias stress, with a reduced trap density.

Anti-UV Passive Radiative Cooling Chiral Nematic Liquid Crystal Films for Thermal Management.

Passive radiative cooling (PRC) can spontaneously dissipate heat to outer space through atmospheric transparent windows, providing a promising path to meet sustainable development goals. However, achieving simultaneously high transparency, color-customizable, and thermal management of PRC anti ultraviolet (anti-UV) films remains a challenge. Herein, a simple strategy is proposed to utilize liquid crystalline polymer, with high mid-infrared emissive, forming customizable structural color film by molecular self-assembly and polymerization-induced pitch gradient, which guarantees the balance of transparency in visible spectrum and sunlight reflection, rendering anti-UV colored window for thermal management. By performing tests, temperature fall of 5.4 and 7.9°C are demonstrated at noon with solar intensity of 717Wm-2 and night, respectively. Vivid red-, green-, blue-structured colors, and colorless films are designed and implemented to suppress the solar input and control the effective visible light transmissivity considering the efficiency function of human vision. In addition, temperature rise of 11.1°C is achieved by applying an alternating current field on the PRC film. This study provides a new perspective on the thermal management and aesthetic functionalities of smart windows and wearables.

Current Trends in Liquid Crystal Polymers and Their Applications: A Review

Liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) are now highly focused by researchers due to their improved thermal properties, mechanical strength, excellent dielectric strength, resistance to solvents, better dimensional stability, and gas barrier properties. LCPs can be used in valuable widespread applications such as energy storage, high-performance polymer fibers, actuators, information technologies, surface modification, shape memory materials, data storage, fiber optics, the medical field, electrical or electronics devices, aircraft, chemical, domestic equipment, ultra-high-strength fibers, biosensing, advanced communication systems, satellite systems, biosensing, bio-oscillators, and bioprocess monitoring. LCPs can self-assemble into different liquid crystalline phases like nematic, cholesteric, smectic, and columnar phases. The self-assembling structures of LCPs can be affected by the chemical and structural structures of the backbone of the polymeric material, nearby alkyl tails, mesogenic units, flexible spacers, etc. Depending on the mesogenic units in their molecular architecture, LCPs are basically classified into various categories, such as crosslinked, main chain, and sidechain. Again, they are also classified as cholesteric, nematic, and smectic mesophases. This paper provides a fundamental understanding, an informative overview, and details of structural aspects, properties, classification, commercial aspects, and applications of LCPs.

Zinc oxide bridges the nanofillers to enhance the wear resistance and stability of triboelectric nanogenerators

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have received widespread attention as a means of harvesting mechanical energy from the environment and converting it into electricity. As people continue to explore the field of infinite sensors, traditional TENGs have faced persistent challenges in practical application, mainly due to the poor abrasion resistance and stability of the existing polymers commonly used. Herein, the polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) was melt blended with liquid crystal polymer (LCP) to be used as matrix, and the interfacial bonding strength between the matrix and filler was improved by zinc oxide (ZnO) grafted carbon nanotubes/graphene oxide (CNTs/GO). Under friction conditions of 100 N load and 0.5 m/s, the friction coefficient and wear rate of resultant nanocomposites were significantly reduced to 0.2 and 2.09 × 10-5 mm3/N, respectively. The abrasion resistant TENG (AR-TENG) was fabricated based on 0.3ZnO/CNTs/GO/LCP/PPS exhibited outstanding electrical output performance, which was attributed to the high dielectric constant of 5.3, improved surface roughness and interfacial contact area of composites. Consequently, this study reported a novel approach to tailor AR-TENG into a highly abrasion resistant and stable sensor. This customization enabled the AR-TENG to operate reliably in harsh environments (high temperatures and humidity), thereby expanding its potential applications.

Advancing interactive systems with liquid crystal network-based adaptive electronics.

Achieving adaptive behavior in artificial systems, analogous to living organisms, has been a long-standing goal in electronics and materials science. Efforts to integrate adaptive capabilities into synthetic electronics traditionally involved a typical architecture comprising of sensors, an external controller, and actuators constructed from multiple materials. However, challenges arise when attempting to unite these three components into a single entity capable of independently coping with dynamic environments. Here, we unveil an adaptive electronic unit based on a liquid crystal polymer that seamlessly incorporates sensing, signal processing, and actuating functionalities. The polymer forms a film that undergoes anisotropic deformations when exposed to a minor heat pulse generated by human touch. We integrate this property into an electric circuit to facilitate switching. We showcase the concept by creating an interactive system that features distributed information processing including feedback loops and enabling cascading signal transmission across multiple adaptive units. This system responds progressively, in a multi-layered cascade to a dynamic change in its environment. The incorporation of adaptive capabilities into a single piece of responsive material holds immense potential for expediting progress in next-generation flexible electronics, soft robotics, and swarm intelligence.

Geometric-phase-based phase-knife mask for stellar nulling and coronagraphy

Exoplanets can be detected very close to stars using single-mode cross-aperture nulling interferometry, a photonic technique that relies on the inability of an anti-symmetric stellar point-spread function to couple to the symmetric mode of a single-mode fiber. We prepared an asymmetric field distribution from a laboratory point source using a flat geometric-phase-based pupil-plane phase-knife mask comprised of a planar liquid crystal polymer layer with orthogonal optical axes on opposite sides of a linear pupil bisector. Our mask yielded an on-axis laboratory point-source rejection (i.e., an interferometric “null depth”) of 2.2 × 10−5. Potential mask modifications to better reject starlight are described that incorporate additional phase regions to spatially broaden the rejection area, and additional layers to spectrally broaden the rejection. Also discussed is a topological correspondence between the spatial configurations of separated-aperture nullers, cross-aperture nullers and full-aperture phase coronagraphs.

Patterned Liquid Crystal Polymer Thin Films Improved Energy Conversion Efficiency at High Incident Angles for Photovoltaic Cells.

In this report, micro-patterned silicon semiconductor photovoltaic cells have been proposed to improve the efficiency in various incident sunlight angles, using homeotropic liquid crystal polymers. The anisotropic liquid crystal precursor solution based on a reactive mesogen has good flowing characteristics. It can be evenly coated on the silicon solar cells' surface by a conventional spreading technique, such as spin coating. Once cured, the polymers exhibit asymmetric transmittance properties. The optical retardation characteristics of the coated polymer films can be eventually determined by the applicable coating and curing parameters during the processes. The birefringence of light then influences the optical path and the divergence of any encountered sunlight. This allows more photons to enter the active semiconductor layers for optical absorption, resulting in an increase in the photon-to-electron conversion, and thus improving the photovoltaic cell efficiency. This new design is straightforward and could allow various patterns to be created for scientific development. The experimental results have evidenced that the energy conversion efficiency could be improved by 2-3% for the silicon photovoltaic cells, under direct sunlight or at no inclination, when the liquid crystal polymer precursor solution is prepared at 5%. In addition, the efficiency could be much more significantly improved to 14-16% when the angle is inclined to 45°. The unique patterned liquid crystal polymer thin films provide enhanced energy conversion efficiency for silicon photovoltaic cells. The design could be further evaluated for other solar cell applications.

Amplified Circularly Polarized Luminescence Behavior in Chiral Co-assembled Liquid Crystal Polymer Films via the Strategic Manipulation of Chiral Inducers.

One of the most important factors for the future application of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials is their high dissymmetry factors (gem), and more and more studies are working tirelessly to focus on increasing the gem value. Herein, we chose an achiral liquid crystal polymer (LC-P) and two chiral binaphthyl-based inducers (R/S-3 and R/S-6) with different substitution positions (3,3' positions for R/S-3 and 6,6' positions for R/S-6) to construct chiral co-assemblies and explored their induced amplification CPL behaviors. Interestingly, after the thermal annealing treatment, this kind of chiral co-assembly (R/S-3)0.05-(LC-P)0.95 can emit a superior CPL signal (|gem| = 0.31 and λem = 424 nm), which achieves about 13-fold signal amplification in the spin-coated film, compared to (R/S-6)0.1-(LC-P)0.9 (|gem| = 0.023 and λem = 424 nm). This is because (R/S-3)0.05-(LC-P)0.95 could further co-assemble to form a more ordered arrangement LC state and generate regular helix nanofibers than that of (R/S-6)0.1-(LC-P)0.9. This work provides an efficient method for synthesizing high-quality CPL-active materials through the strategic manipulation of the structure of chiral binaphthyl-based inducers in chiral co-assembled LCP systems.

Achieving High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries by Modulating Li+ Desolvation Barrier with Liquid Crystal Polymers.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries offer high theoretical capacity but are hindered by poor rate capability and cycling stability due to sluggish Li2S precipitation kinetics. Here a sulfonate-group-rich liquid crystal polymer (poly-2,2'-disulfonyl-4,4'-benzidine terephthalamide, PBDT) is designed and fabricated to accelerate Li2S precipitation by promoting the desolvation of Li+ from electrolyte. PBDT-modified separators are employed to assemble Li-S batteries, which deliver a remarkable rate capacity (761 mAh g-1 at 4 C) and cycling stability (500 cycles with an average decay rate of 0.088% per cycle at 0.5 C). A PBDT-based pouch cell even delivers an exceptional capacity of ≈1400 mAh g-1 and an areal capacity of ≈11 mAh cm-2 under lean-electrolyte and high-sulfur-loading condition, demonstrating promise for practical applications. Results of Raman spectra, molecular dynamic (MD) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the abundant anionic sulfonate groups of PBDT aid in Li+ desolvation by attenuating Li+-solvent interactions and lowering the desolvation energy barrier. Plus, the polysulfide adsorption/catalysis is also excluded via electrostatic repulsion. This work elucidates the critical impact of Li+ desolvation on Li-S batteries and provides a new design direction for advanced Li-S batteries.

Advancements in The Cross-Linking and Morphology of Liquid Crystals

The liquid crystal state (LC) in polymer chemistry is a topic discussed in varied materials research. The anisotropic properties typical of these compounds are mostly the result of the presence of mesogens in the structure of liquid crystals. This article traces the development of liquid crystal science, focusing on liquid crystal epoxy resins (LCERs) and emphasizing the crucial role of mesogens and their diverse effect on the materials. It also highlights the importance of understanding the morphology of LC polymers, explaining their profound impact on material properties and performance. It explores the cross-linking process of liquid crystal resins and composites, describing how changes in structural factors affect material structure. The article also provides information about hardeners and their influence on the cross-linked structure. Various nanofillers were also discussed, elucidating their impact on the resulting composites.

High directivity microstrip patch antenna design using binary ebola search optimization for radio frequency identification application

Microstrip patch antenna has gained significant popularity in wireless communication field, because of its compact size, less profile, and ease of installation. It is widely used in various applications such as Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) systems, where dependable and long-range communication is made possible by the great directivity and efficiency. In this manuscript, a High Directivity Microstrip Patch Antenna design using Binary Ebola Search Optimization for Radio Frequency Identification Application (MPA-RFID-BESO) is proposed.The design of microstrip patch antennas is the difficulty in achieving high directivity while maintaining compact size and low profile. This research explains design and application-specific optimisation of the Microstrip Patch Antenna (MPA) of biomedical utilizing Binary Ebola Search optimization (BESO) algorithm. Microstrip patch antenna is designed to function in double and multi band applications due to its low cost, light weight, and ease of installation. MPA is made with flawed ground construction to lessen cross-polarized radiation emitted by microstrip patches and to achieve the necessary radiation parameters. Here, the cost of the materials is reduced by using a liquid crystal polymer substrate, and aerial performance is enhanced by using the appropriate geometrical parameters. The small design of the BESO optimised improves the performance of antenna as 50 mm×50 mm compact size. The MATLAB program uses high frequency to do the simulation method. The proposed antenna design is a preferable option for applications involving Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). The performance metrics, such as radiation pattern, constant gain, directivity, bandwidth, and antenna efficiency and return loss are measured and compared to the existing techniques. The proposed MPA-BA-BESO design provides 10.51%, 12.85% and 16.04% higher bandwidth and 23.63%, 47.86% and 32.06% higher gain compared with existing designs, like Designing MPA utilizing Moth–Flame optimization approach (MPA-UWB-MFOA), Predicting Rectangular Patch Microstrip Antenna Dimension utilizing Machine Learning (MPA-ANN), Dual Band Antenna Design and Prediction of Resonance Frequency Utilizing Machine Learning Algorithms (DBAD-RF-CNN) respectively. The proposed technology serve as a better design alternative for microstrip patch antennas in communication systems to address biological applications.

Effect of polymer concentration on molecular alignment behavior during scanning wave photopolymerization

Molecularly aligned liquid-crystalline (LC) polymer films hold great promise for next-generation high-performance photonics, electronics, robotics, and medical devices. Photoalignment methods capable of achieving precise molecular alignment in a noncontact manner have been actively studied. Recently, we proposed the concept of using spatiotemporal photopolymerization to induce molecular diffusion and the resulting alignment, termed scanning wave photopolymerization (SWaP). The spatial gradient of the polymer concentration is the dominant factor in inducing the molecular diffusion and alignment of LCs. However, the effect of polymer concentration on molecular alignment behavior remains unclear. In this study, we performed SWaP at different exposure energies to modulate the polymer concentration during polymerization. We found that a certain polymer concentration was required to initiate the alignment. Furthermore, the phase diagram of the polymer/monomer mixtures and real-time observations during SWaP revealed that phase emergence and unidirectional molecular alignment occurred simultaneously when the polymer concentration exceeded 50%. Since SWaP achieves molecular alignment coincident with photopolymerization, it has the potential to revolutionize material fabrication by consolidating the multiple-step processes required to create functional materials in a single step.