Preparation of a Thermally Light-Transmittance-Controllable Film from a Coexistent System of Polymer-Dispersed and Polymer-Stabilized Liquid Crystals

Shu-Meng Guo; Xiao Liang; Cui-Hong Zhang; Mei Chen; Chen Shen; Lan-Ying Zhang; Xiao Yuan; Bao-Feng He; Huai Yang

doi:10.1021/acsami.6b13366

Preparation of a Thermally Light-Transmittance-Controllable Film from a Coexistent System of Polymer-Dispersed and Polymer-Stabilized Liquid Crystals

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2017 Jan 25;9(3):2942-2947. doi: 10.1021/acsami.6b13366. Epub 2017 Jan 11.

Authors

Shu-Meng Guo¹, Xiao Liang^{2

3}, Cui-Hong Zhang^{2

3}, Mei Chen^{2

3}, Chen Shen⁴, Lan-Ying Zhang^{2

3}, Xiao Yuan^{2

3}, Bao-Feng He^{2

3}, Huai Yang^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Physics and Chemistry, University of Science and Technology Beijing , Beijing 100083, P. R. China.
² Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.
³ Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University , Beijing 100871, P. R. China.
⁴ Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University , Shanghai 200000, P. R. China.

PMID: 28001028
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b13366

Abstract

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) and polymer-stabilized liquid crystal (PSLC) systems are the two primary distinct systems in the field of liquid crystal (LC) technology, and they are differentiated by their unique microstructures. Here, we present a novel coexistent system of polymer-dispersed and polymer-stabilized liquid crystals (PD&SLCs), which forms a homeotropically aligned polymer network (HAPN) within the LC droplets after a microphase separation between the LC and polymer matrix and combines the advantages of both the PDLC and PSLC systems. Then, we prepare a novel thermally light-transmittance-controllable (TLTC) film from the PD&SLC system, where the transmittance can be reversibly changed through thermal control from a transparent to a light-scattering state. The film also combines the advantageous features of flexibility and a potential for large-scale manufacturing, and it shows significant promise in future applications from smart windows to temperature sensors.

Keywords: coexistent system; liquid crystal; polymer-dispersed liquid crystal; polymer-stabilized liquid crystal; thermally light-transmittance-controllable film.