Effect of Liquid Crystal Material on Polymer Network Structure in Polymer Stabilized Liquid Crystal Cell

Polymer stabilized liquid crystal (PSLC) cells have been fabricated by using a reactive mesogen (RM) and various LC materials. It is clarified that a polymer network structure changes by selecting not only RM but also LC materials. Using the LC with a tolane substance, a "rice grain like" morphology can be obtained, which results in low threshold and driving voltages even if a dielectric constant anisotropy of the LC is very small. On the other hand, a “smooth stranded network” morphology causes the high driving voltage. When two LC materials which contribute to the smooth stranded network morphology are mixed and the LC mixture is used to fabricate the PSLC cell, the rice grain like morphology is formed. The driving voltage is lower than that in cells using two pure LCs. A relationship between solubility of the RM in the LC and the morphology formation is not observed.