Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T00:43:29.606Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Polymerization Effects on the Electro-Optic Properties of a Polymer Stabilized Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

C. Allan Guymon
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado, Campus Box 424, Boulder CO 80309–0424
Lisa A. Dougan
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado, Campus Box 424, Boulder CO 80309–0424
Erik N. Hoggan
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado, Campus Box 424, Boulder CO 80309–0424
Christopher N. Bowman
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado, Campus Box 424, Boulder CO 80309–0424
Get access

Abstract

The introduction of polymeric materials into liquid crystal (LC) matrices has been the focus of much interest in recent years. When a small percentage of polymer network is introduced, the mechanical strength of an LC system increases dramatically without significantly altering the electro-optic properties of the LC. One particular group of LCs, namely, ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs), are excellent candidates for such stabilization. FLCs, despite showing great potential for use in electro-optic and display technology due to inherently fast switching times and bistability, have found limited use as they are extremely susceptible to mechanical shock. This study examines the effects of polymerization conditions of a diacrylate monomer in an FLC on its inherent electro-optic properties. The LC phase in which polymerization occurs has a dramatic effect on the polymerization behavior and formation of the polymer network. Such effects have interesting implications on the ferroelectric polarization and switching speed of the FLC. As the temperature of polymerization increases and thus the order of the LC phase decreases, the ferroelectric polarization and the switching time increase.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Walba, D. M., Science, 2703, 250 (1995).Google Scholar
2. Clark, N. A., and Lagerwall, S. T., Appl. Phys. Lett., 36, 899 (1980).Google Scholar
3. Molsen, H., and Kitzerow, H.-S., J. appl. Phys., 75, 710 (1994).Google Scholar
4. Kitzerow, H.-S., Liq. Crystals, 16, 1 (1994).Google Scholar
5. Guymon, C. A., Hoggan, E. N., Walba, D. M., Clark, N. A., and Bowman, C. N., 19, 719 (1995).Google Scholar
6. Hikmet, R. A. M., and Lub, J., J. Appl. Phys., 77, 6234, (1995).Google Scholar
7. Lester, G., Coles, H., Murayama, A., and Ishikawa, M., Ferroelectrics, 148, 389, (1993).Google Scholar
8. Guymon, C. A., Rieker, T. P., Clark, N. A., Walba, D. M., and Bowman, C. N., Science (submitted).Google Scholar
9. Hoyle, C. E., and Chawla, C. P., Macromolecules, 28, 1946, (1995).Google Scholar
10. Broer, D. J., Boven, J., and Mol, G. N., Makromol. Chem., 1903, 2255, (1989).Google Scholar
11. Guymon, C. A., Hoggan, E. N., and Bowman, C. N., Macromolecules (submitted).Google Scholar