Light Dependence of the Pigmented Liquid Crystal BLM Capacitance

Abstract

The light-induced capacitance changes and both photovoltage and photocurrent generated by pigmented liquid crystal bilayer (PBLM) with a fixed surface asymmetry were measured under continuous illumination. It is suggested that the origin of the photoresponses is due to electron injection across the two double layers resulting from the interaction of an excited photosensitizer located in the BLM with the acceptor ions in the solution. The photocurrent across the double layers affects their properties (potential across those layers, a dielectric constant and a concentration of acceptor ions around the double layers) which can be seen in the PBLM capacitance changes.