Abstract

Infrared microspectroscopy was used to study the interaction of liquid crystal (E7) with poly( n -butyl methacrylate) (PBMA). A novel experimental technique is introduced to conduct in situ diffusion and miscibility studies of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) systems. The amount of liquid crystal dissolved in the polymer matrix is determined by using the IR microspectroscope, which is a powerful tool for characterizing domains on the order of tens of micrometers. Quantitative phase diagrams are constructed for the PBMA and E7 mixture. It is observed that the diffusion of E7 into PBMA follows Fick's second law of diffusion with a diffusion coefficient of (1.3 ± 0.2) X 10 ^-7 cm²/s at 61 °C. The intensities of the peaks in the IR spectrum were used as a measure of the concentration of the components. The combination of IR microspectroscopy with the contact method is proven to be a powerful technique for the quantitative elucidation of phase diagrams.

Light distribution control of layer-structured PDLC fabricated by using micro lens structure and anisotropically diffused UV light

Takahiro Ishinabe, Yuya Horii, Yosei Shibata, and Hideo Fujikake
Opt. Express 27(9) 13416-13429 (2019)

Development of an interferometer for measurement of the diffusion coefficient of miscible liquids

Nasser Rashidnia and R. Balasubramaniam
Appl. Opt. 41(7) 1337-1342 (2002)

Thermally responsive polymer-dispersed liquid crystal diffusers fabricated using laser speckle pattern irradiation

Akifumi Ogiwara and Hiroshi Kakiuchida
Appl. Opt. 60(32) 10246-10251 (2021)

Recent applications of FT-IR spectroscopy to polymer systems

J. L. Koenig and M. K. Antoon
Appl. Opt. 17(9) 1374-1385 (1978)

Polymer dispersed liquid crystals with electrically controlled light scattering in the visible and near-infrared ranges

E. P. Pozhidaev, A. V. Kaznacheev, S. I. Torgova, V. V. Kesaev, and V. A. Barbashov
Opt. Mater. Express 10(12) 3030-3040 (2020)