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Electro-Optical Properties and Interfacial Charges in Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal Devices

Author(s):
Robert A. Ramsey, Suresh C. Sharma, Robert M. Henry, and Jay B. Atman
University of Texas at Arlington
United States

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) is a composite material that consists of sub micron-size droplets of liquid crystalline (lc) material dispersed in a polymer matrix. A device is usually assembled by sandwiching PDLC between ITO-coated glass plates. The electro optical properties of such a device can be controlled by the application of electric fields; the device acts as a "switch" for the transmission of light. The transmission of light through the device can be controlled between almost zero and 100% by applying ac electric fields. The dielectric properties of the lc and polymer, shape and size distribution of the lc droplets in the PDLC, amplitude and frequency of the applied electric field are among the important parameters for optimizing the performance of such a device. We have investigated the optical properties of PDLC devices fabricated by using several different phase-separation techniques and different lc/polymer materials. We present results for the switching characteristics of these devices as functions of applied electric fields and the size-distribution of the lc droplets. We also present results that reinforce the influence of the interfacial charges on the optical properties of the PDLC devices.

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Track ID:
Paper #: L10.18
DOI: