A study on electro-optical properties of polymer dispersed liquid crystal films with thiol-isocyanate-ene ternary network prepared by nucleophile-initiated thiol-ene click reaction and thiol-isocyanate coupling reaction

ABSTRACT

A series of polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films with thiol-isocyanate-ene ternary network were successfully prepared by nucleophile-initiated thiol-ene click reaction and thiol-isocyanate coupling reaction. The effects of isocyanate content, reaction temperature and liquid crystal (LC) content on the electro-optical properties of PDLC were investigated. It is found that with the decrease of isocyanate content or reaction temperature, there are lower voltages as well as higher transmittance. When the LC content increases, the polymer structure changes and the phase inversion occurs. The results indicate that PDLC films with good electro-optical properties could be prepared by nucleophile-initiated thiol-ene click reaction and thiol-isocyanate coupling reaction, providing a new idea for PDLC preparation.

Graphical abstract

KEYWORDS:

• PDLC
• isocyanate content
• reaction temperature
• LC content
• electro-optical properties

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.