Application of dual-frequency liquid crystal for tunable selective filtration of infrared radiation

The novel dual-frequency liquid crystal (DFLC) consisting of 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB), 4-hexyloxyphenyl ester 4′-hexyloxy-3-nitrobenzoic acid (C2), and 4-n-pentanoyloxy-benzoic acid-4′-hexyloxyphenyl ester (H22) was developed and its basic dielectric characteristics were determined. Transmission spectra of the Al2O3 particles-DFLC system in both the ordinary electrooptical cell and the twist-structure were studied. It was shown that for certain changes in the frequency of the applied electric field, a transmission region maximum of the Al2O3 particles-DFLC ordinary cell switches from one wavenumber to the other. While the twist-structure of the system at low frequencies passes the light at the same wavenumbers but it becomes practically opaque at high frequencies. The experimental results are explained by the optical homogeneity of the system in a narrow wavelength interval when the refractive indices of the particle material and the matrix are close, and also by reorientation of the liquid crystal molecules as the frequency of the applied voltage changes.