Polymer as an important component of blends and composites with liquid crystals

✍ Scribed by M. Mucha

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 1007 KB
• Volume: 28
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0079-6700
• DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6700(02)00117-x

✦ Synopsis

The review presents various ways of preparation of LC/polymer blends and composites leading to their required applications. Phase separation and LC miscibility with polymer, LC solubility in polymer and description of various types of LC/polymer blends including polymer dispersed liquid crystals, polymer network and filled liquid crystals, polymer/LC/dyes systems, LC polymer/LC blends, polymer/ferroelectric LC and others are discussed.

The most important features of polymers which can be used as components of blends or composites with liquid crystals include: their film formation ability, high transparency, amorphicity, inertness in relation to a liquid crystal, good miscibility with LC in a liquid state and immiscibility in a solid state.

The role of polymeric materials in the blends is determined. Polymer plays an auxiliary but very important role in achieving required effects related to the presence of a liquid crystal in various devices. It refers to the stabilization of liquid crystal in droplets (PDLC) or in a crosslinked polymer network, specific orientation of a liquid crystal on easily reoriented polymer surfaces and others.