Thermo-mechanical and electro-optical properties of polymer dispersed liquid crystal films

We have observed a strong dependence of the electro-optical properties of polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films on temperature. One plausible explanation for this dependence is the thermal expansion of the films. We investigated the thermal expansion of various PDLC films using a thermal mechanical analyser (TMA). As the temperature increased, the films expanded and their droplet size decreased, and their contrast, response time, and hysteresis changed simultaneously. We observed obvious changes of thermal expansion coefficient of the films. We studied the qualitative relationship between thermo-mechanical properties and electrooptical properties. The thermal expansion of PDLC films could be adjusted by changing the degree of cross-linking of the polymer.