Effect of Polymer Network Topology on the Electro‐Optical Performance of Polymer Stabilized Liquid Crystal (PSLC) Devices

Abstract Polymer‐stabilized liquid crystal (PSLC) devices can realize fast switching between transparent and scattering state, and have been widely applied as smart windows and optical shutters. It has many advantages such as high transmittance, high haze value, fast response speed, and low driving voltage. The electro‐optical response of PSLC devices depends on the properties of the liquid crystal molecules and the influence of the polymer network on the motion of the liquid crystal molecules. In this paper, the effect of polymer network morphology on the performance of PSLC devices is systematically studied. By adding mono‐acrylate monomer into the liquid crystal di‐acrylate monomers, the polymer network became softer and sparser after photopolymerization. The threshold voltage and response time of PSLC devices decreased with increasing the mono‐acrylate monomer concentration, but changed to increase after the concentration exceeds 1.8 wt%. This study provides guidelines to optimize of PSLC based optical devices and windows.