Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 20: POSTER: Biological Systems + New Materials

CPP 20.14: Poster

Wednesday, March 28, 2007, 16:00–18:30, Poster B

Towards multifunctional composites: preparation and characterization of polymer-dispersed liquid crystals — •Lakshmi Meena Ganesan, Axel Mellinger, Michael Wegener, Werner Wirges, and Reimund Gerhard — Universität Potsdam, Institut für Physik, 14469 Potsdam, Germany

Micrometer-sized liquid-crystal droplets embedded in a polymer matrix induce optical switching behavior in the composite film through the alignment of the director along an external electric field. When a ferroelectric polymer is used as matrix material, the electric field generated by the piezo- or pyro-electric effect of the matrix material could potentially be used to switch the director of the LC. Employing a solvent-induced phase separation (SIPS) method, polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films were prepared from poly(vinylidene fluoride - trifluoroethylene) and a nematic liquid crystal. The films were sandwiched between two glass plates coated with transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes, and the field-dependent optical transmission of the charged PDLC films was measured. The phase-transition behavior of the liquid crystal was studied by means of infrared spectroscopy.