Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol.71, No.3, 455-463, 1999
Effect of curing progress on the electrooptical and switching properties of PDLC system
Experimental studies on the morphology and thermal and electrooptical behavior of PDLC films consisting droplets of nematic LC (6CB) up to a 40% weight fraction in a polyester resin matrix crosslinked by diacrylane are presented. The PDLC samples were prepared by LC separation from a solution in a UV-polymerizing oligoester resin between TIG-coated glass plates. The electrooptical and switching results depending on the UV curing time of the polyester matrix are shown. The curing process of the polymer binder leading to phase separation of the LC causes increasing polymer stiffness affected by the boundary condition on the LC droplets. The reorientational dynamics of LC in PDLC, which reflects the character of switching curves for varying voltage and with progressing curing (varying from 40 s to 15 min), is discussed on the basis of the kinetic analysis of light scattering by the system.