Guest–host interaction of some aminoazobenzene dyes doped in liquid crystalline matrix

Enhanced Bandwidth Broadening of Infrared Reflector Based on Polymer Stabilized Cholesteric Liquid Crystals with Poly(N-vinylcarbazole) Used as Alignment Layer

Alignment layer plays a critical role on liquid crystal (LC) conformation for most LC devices. Normally, polyimide (PI) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), characterized by their outstanding thermal and electrical properties, have been widely applied as the alignment layer to align LC molecules. Here, we used a semi-conductive material poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) as the alignment layer to fabricate the cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) device and the polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals (PSCLC)-based infrared (IR) reflectors. In the presence of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, there are hole–electron pairs generated in the PVK layer, which neutralizes the impurity electrons in the LC–PVK junction, resulting in the reduction in the built-in electric field in the LC device. Therefore, the operational voltage of the CLC device switching from cholesteric texture to focal conic texture decreases from 45 V to 30 V. For the PSCLC-based IR reflectors with the PVK alignment layer, at the same applied electric field, the reflection bandwidth is enhanced from 647 to 821 nm, ranging from 685 to 1506 nm in the IR region, which makes it attractive for saving energy as a smart window.

Polymeric cyanide azo compounds dipole moments and photo-physical properties in solvents media

A quantitative study of solvent environment effects on the photo-physical properties of a group of polymeric cyano azo benzene compounds was carried out at room temperature. Absorption and emission spectra of this group of azo matter with similar structure and different statistical weight of azo block have been studied in different solvents. The solvatochromic method was used to estimate the dipole moments in ground and excited states. The nature and degree of solvent-solute interactions were characterized using Kamlet-Abboud-Taft multi-parameter polarity scale.

Tautomeric behavior of some azoquinoline dyes in liquid and liquid crystalline media

The absorption spectra of three azoquinolin-8-ol derivatives (o-, m-, p-cyano hydroxy azoquinolin dyes) were investigated in liquid and liquid crystalline solutions as a function of the solvent polarity. The spectral data of the dyes were compared in both ordinary liquid solvents and liquid crystalline media. Analysis of the spectral data was used to determine the azo and hydrazone forms in both the environments. The spectral shifts were correlated by Kamlet-Taft and Katritzky multi-parameter polarity scales. For the azoquinoline dyes, the azo form is almost entirely dominated in polar anisotropic hosts. In contrast, the compounds remain dominantly in hydrazone form in some polar solvents such as DMF. The polarized absorption spectra of the compounds in the anisotropic media were measured and their degree of anisotropies was determined.

Solvatochromism effects on the dipole moments and photo-physical behavior of some azo sulfonamide dyes

Absorption and emission spectra of three azo sulfonamide dyes with various molecular structures have been studied in different solvents. The solute photo-physical behavior depends strongly on the solvent-solute interactions and solvent microenvironment. In order to understand the effect of intermolecular interactions on spectral behaviors of these dyes in different solvents and to conceive nature and extent of solvent-solute interactions the spectral variations were analyzed by the linear solvation energy relationships concept. In addition, by means of solvatochromic method the dipole moments of these dyes, in ground and excited states, were investigated.