Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal with low driving voltage utilising reaction selectivity of two-stage polymerisation

ABSTRACT

An optimised approach is presented in this study for the fabrication of a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) device with a low driving voltage and high contrast ratio (CR). This method involves a two-step process utilising Michael addition and radical polymerisation, employing a reaction-selective orthogonal photoinitiated system. The impact of incorporating low surface energy monomers on PDLC performance is thoroughly investigated, and the driving voltage is further reduced through selective reaction-induced interface modification. The polymer morphology can be finely tuned by adjusting the thiol content, leading to various PDLC properties. This paper introduces a novel surface modification technique within the polymer-liquid crystal system, presenting a fresh perspective on regulating PDLC performance. By choosing monomer structures, the sequence of reactions can be precisely controlled, allowing for the introduction of structural units with distinct functionalities at the polymer interface. This approach facilitates interfacial functionalization and enables the design of multi-layer structures for synthetic polymers, realising innovative functionalities.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Low driving voltage
• reactivity selectivity
• two-stage polymerisation
• PDLC

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/02678292.2024.2324464.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Programme of China [2019YFE0101300], Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province [1708085MF150] and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China [JZ2022HGTB0294].