Photorefractive effect in composites of ferroelectric liquid crystal and photoconductive polymer

Abstract

The photorefractive effect in composites of a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) and several photoconductive polymers was investigated. The photorefractivity of mixtures of photoconductive polymers and an FLC (polymer/FLC), as well as that of photoconductive‐polymer‐stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystals (PPS‐FLCs) was examined. The polymer/FLC samples exhibited two‐beam coupling gain coefficients of about 6∼12 cm⁻¹ in a 5 µm gap cell. The photopolymerization of a methacrylate monomer in the FLC medium established a polymer‐stabilized state in which the alignment of FLC molecules was mechanically stabilized. The noise in a two‐beam coupling signal was reduced significantly in the PPS‐FLC samples.