Polymer Dispersed Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Films With High Electro-Optic Quality

Abstract

Polymer dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystal (PDFLC) films are composite materials of a ferroelectric liquid crystal dispersed in the form of micron-sized droplets in a polymer matrix. In this study PDFLC films with a novel ferroelectric mixture were prepared by a polymerization-induced phase separation technique. The uniform orientation of the ferroelectric liquid crystal droplets was obtained by shearing during the phase separation process. The electro-optic characteristics of the films were analysed. Experimental results on response times. contrast ratio and spontaneous polarization were presented. Since these films exhibit high electro-optic quality, they have the potential of use in a wide range of display devices.