Regulating content of thiol/LC and UV intensity to optimize morphology and electro-optical performance of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal

In the study, Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films were prepared by the ultraviolet (UV)-induced polymerisation from the composites of nematic liquid crystal (LC)/thiol/acrylate. The effects of the content of LC/thiol/acrylate and the UV intensity on the morphology of polymer network and the electro-optical properties of the PDLC films were investigated. It was demonstrated that the crosslinking density of the polymer network increases with the decreasing content of LC/thiol and the enhancing UV intensity. And the electro-optical properties of the PDLC could be regulated by the crosslinking density of the polymer network. It is suggested that at the lower of LC content there is possibility to achieve both lower driven voltage and the higher CR, which can save massive cost on production of PDLC. Meanwhile it illustrates subsequently that the introduction of the thiol and the optimisation of UV intensity can further lessen the driven voltage. Thereby it is of great significance for the application of PDLC.