Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2011
Volume 56, Number 1
Monday–Friday, March 21–25, 2011; Dallas, Texas
Abstract: S1.00193 : Observation of nematic/smectic liquid crystal configurations in a prolate spheroidal confinement
Author:
Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) is a composite of
dispersed LC droplets in a polymer matrix. The electro-optic
properties of PDLCs, such as reorientation field strength and
response time, are strongly related to the director
configuration. Various factors including the intrinsic properties
of LC/polymer and the size/shape of droplets affect the liquid
crystal configuration. A balance between the bulk elastic energy
and the surface anchoring energy determines the configuration. To
study systematically the effect of size/shape of droplets on the
configuration, we have prepared thin PDLC films with
4-Cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB)/ 4-Cyano-4'-octylbiphenyl (8CB)
and Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer. Using polarized
optical microscopy, we have observed the change in the director
configuration of LC droplets as a function of the aspect ratio up
to 6 by stretching the film unidirectionally. We have also
observed the effect of surface anchoring on the configuration.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2011.MAR.S1.193
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