초록 |
To develop a liquid crystal (LC) smart window, we newly fabricated an optical cell which is composed of nematic LC (NLC), macrogelator with photoisomerizable azobenzene (B-3AZO) and photopolymerizable monomers. Upon irradiating UV light under a photomask, the B-3AZO gels collapse by photoisomerization, and they are separated from photopolymerizable monomers. As a result, LC physical gels (LCPG) and polymer partition walls are simultaneously constructed. Based on electro-optical analyses, the scattering and transparent states can be switched at a lower voltage than conventional LC smart windows due to homogeneously aligned NLC molecules near the partition wall. Additionally, this cell is mechanically stable because the partition walls increase the adhesion with substrates. This optical cell can be applied to flexible LC smart windows with high performance. This work was supported by BK21 FOUR program and Mid-Career Researcher Program (2021R1A2C2009423). |