Preparation of cholesteric liquid crystal microcapsules for application in colour image storage media

Abstract

Cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) microcapsules for application in image storage media can be obtained via a diffusion-controlled polymerization method (DPM). To improve the swelling of the CLC seed particle, in poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), a polymerizable acrylate based on a cholesterol moiety was synthesized and copolymerized with MMA to prepare the seed particle. As a result, monodispersed and CLC core/shell-structured microcapsules may be obtained. The resulting CLC microcapsules selectively, absorbed visible light at around 660 nm, and so appeared blue in the mesophase. Polymer dispersed cholesteric liquid crystal (PDCLC) cells were prepared using the CLC microcapsules, and were used as an image storage medium in reversible writing/erasing experiments.