Abstract
The components of a liquid crystal mixture (E7) have been shown to diffuse at different rates in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs). It was observed in this work that liquid crystals of different molecular weights diffuse into poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) at different rates at a constant temperature. It was also determined that the components in a liquid crystal mixture diffuse into the polymer at different rates. The effect is quite small under normal conditions, so elevated temperatures, simplified diffusion boundaries, and extended time scales were employed to magnify the diffusion separation effects for study. This work demonstrates that the components of E7 diffuse at different rates. Practically, the short phase separation times experienced during the generation of a PDLC may be insufficient to promote this effect to the point where optical properties are adversely affected.
PDF Article
More Like This
Cited By
You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.
Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription