An electrically light-transmittance-controllable film with a low-driving voltage from a coexistent system of polymer-dispersed and polymer-stabilised cholesteric liquid crystals

ABSTRACT

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films have been successfully applied in the field of smart windows, building partitions and projection screens. However, the high-driving voltage of the state-of-the-art PDLC films not only results in serious security problems but also leads to huge energy consumptions. Although studied for decades, however, no tangible improvements of reducing the driving voltage have been achieved due to the movements liquid crystals (LCs) are greatly confined by the porous polymer structures of PDLCs. In this paper, an electrically light-transmittance-controllable film with an unprecedented low-driving voltage (more than 50% lower than that of the typical PDLC films) was prepared from a new polymer dispersed and stabilised cholesteric LC system. Also, the effects of the amounts of chiral dopants on the electro-optical properties were studied.

Graphical Abstract

KEYWORDS:

• Liquid crystal
• polymer-dispersed liquid crystal
• cholesteric liquid crystal
• low-driving voltage

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [grant number 51561135014], [grant number 51333001], [grant number 51573006, [grant number 51602007], [grant number 51573003] and the Ministry of Education for Equipment Pre-Research [grant number 6141A020222].