Reverse Mode Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Materials

提出的工作重点是开发反模聚合物分散液晶材料。这些材料将以薄膜或封装液滴的形式制造，与其他液晶器件（包括普通模式聚合物分散系统）完全不同。反模材料的重要区别在于，它们在没有施加场的情况下代表光学透射状态，而在施加场时转换为不透明的光散射状态。它们的场off/field-on行为与通常与液晶材料光学特性相关的行为完全相反，因此产生了相反的模式命名。这些反模聚合物分散液晶材料有许多主要和独特的商业机会。其中包括在商业和住宅建筑中作为“智能窗户”的节能用途；汽车防盗窗；并且作为平视显示技术的一种新方法。与其他液晶百叶窗相比，反向模式材料在这些应用方面的独特之处在于故障安全方面，因为它们在没有应用场的情况下是透明的。因此，计划外停电不会造成危险情况。商业化的经济因素将是最有利的，因为这些反向模式材料的生产相对便宜。第一阶段实验工作的重点是提高反模聚合物分散液晶材料的整体光学性能。特别是，通过改变液晶微滴的形状和大小，系统地研究这些材料在透明场离态下的透射率。

The proposed work centers on the development of reverse mode polymer dispersed liquid crystal materials. These materials, which will be fabricated either as films or as encapsulated droplets, are radically different from other liquid crystal devices, including normal mode polymer dispersed systems. The important distinction of reverse mode materials is that they represent an optically transmissive state in the absence of applied fields and are converted to an opaque light scattering state when a field is applied. Their field-off/field-on behavior is exactly opposite to that normally associated with optical properties of liquid crystal materials, thus giving rise to the reverse mode designation. There are numerous major and unique commercial opportunities for these reverse mode polymer dispersed liquid crystal materials. They include architectural use as "smart windows" for energy savings in commercial and residential buildings; privacy windows in automobiles; and as a new approach to heads-up display technology. The unique feature of reverse mode materials with respect to these applications, as contrasted with other liquid crystal light shutters, centers on the fail-safe aspect in that they are transparent in the absence of an applied field. Thus, unscheduled power outages will not create hazardous situations. The economic factors in commercialization would be most favorable in that these reverse mode materials are relatively inexpensive to produce. The focus of the phase I experimental effort is to improve the overall optical properties of reverse mode polymer dispersed liquid crystal materials. In particular, systematic studies will be conducted to optimize the percent transmission of these materials in the transparent field-off state through modification of the shapes and sizes of the liquid crystal microdroplets.