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Jiang X, Zhou W, Wang W, Le Z, Dong W. Laser speckle reduction using polymer-stabilized liquid crystals doped with Ag nanowires. Heliyon 2023; 9:e20934. [PMID: 37876421 PMCID: PMC10590783 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Miniaturized and pure static devices are expected to be used in laser-imaging systems for speckle reduction. In this study, a pure static device based on polymer-stabilized liquid crystal (PSLC) doped with Ag nanowires was developed to effectively suppress laser speckles. The concentrations of the polymer and Ag nanowires in the PSLC were optimized, and then the PSLC devices were fabricated. A measurement system was set up to characterize the electro-optical properties of the fabricated PSLC devices. Subsequently, a laser projection system was built to demonstrate the speckle-reduction performance. Moreover, the degree of scattering and response time of the developed PSLC devices were investigated and discussed. A PSLC doped with 0.02 wt% Ag nanowires and 3 wt% polymer having a device size of 2 × 2 × 0.1 cm3 was demonstrated to produce a speckle-reduction efficiency of 51.4 % under very low driving voltages. The experimental results verified effectiveness and superiority of the developed speckle reduction method based on PSLC doped with Ag nanowires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Jiang
- College of Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, PR China
| | - Weilong Zhou
- College of Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, PR China
| | - Wei Wang
- College of Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, PR China
| | - Zichun Le
- College of Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, PR China
| | - Wen Dong
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, PR China
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2
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Xu Z, Liu M, Liu Y, Pan Y, Yang L, Ge D. Mechano-Optical Response Behavior of Polymer-Dispersed Cholesteric Liquid Crystals for Reversible and Highly Sensitive Force Recorders. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:3673-3679. [PMID: 36608174 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c20959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Force recording (mode, intensity, and orientation) is of great importance in medical rehabilitation, military reconnaissance, space exploration, etc. However, sensors with both reversibility and memorability are still challenging. Here, a reversible sensor based on polymer-dispersed cholesteric liquid crystals (CLC) is developed as a force recorder. Based on the microarea mechano-optical response and finite element analysis, it is confirmed that the mechanochromic response is mediated by the shear deformation of the polymer network and neighboring CLC. There is an obvious quantitative relationship between force intensity, mode, orientation, and the microarea optical response. Moreover, the sensing layer with a lower modulus or thickness is advantageous for a more sensitive device with lower starting pressure. Additionally, the excellent sensitivity and accuracy also highlight the potential applications in force analysis, path tracking, or pattern detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai201620, China
- Institute of Functional Materials, Donghua University, Shanghai201620, China
| | - Meng Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai201620, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai201620, China
| | - Yan Pan
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai201620, China
| | - Lili Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai201620, China
| | - Dengteng Ge
- Institute of Functional Materials, Donghua University, Shanghai201620, China
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3
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He Z, Yu P, Zhang H, Zhao Y, Zhu Y, Guo Z, Ma C, Zhang H, Miao Z, Shen W. Silicon nanostructure-doped polymer/nematic liquid crystal composites for low voltage-driven smart windows. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 33:085205. [PMID: 34787111 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac3a3b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
In this work, two silicon nanostructures were doped into polymer/nematic liquid crystal composites to regulate the electric-optical performance. Commercial SiO2nanoparticles and synthesized thiol polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS-SH) were chosen as the dopants to afford the silicon nanostructures. SiO2nanoparticles were physically dispersed in the composites and the nanostructure from POSS-SH was implanted into the polymer matrix of the composites via photoinduced thiol-ene crosslinking. Scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the implantation of POSS microstructure into the polymer matrix was conducive to obtaining the uniform porous polymer microstructures in the composites while the introduction of SiO2nanoparticles led to the loose and heterogeneous polymer morphologies. The electric-optical performance test results also demonstrated that the electric-optical performance regulation effect of POSS microstructure was more obvious than that of SiO2nanoparticles. The driving voltage was reduced by almost 80% if the concentration of POSS-SH in the composite was nearly 8 wt% and the sample could be completely driven by the electric field whose voltage was lower than the safe voltage for continuous contact (24 V). This work could provide a creative approach for the regulation of electric-optical performance for polymer/nematic liquid crystal composites and the fabrication of low voltage-driven PDLC films for smart windows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zemin He
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Advanced Photo-electronics Materials and Energy Conversion Device, Key Laboratory of Organic Polymer Photoelectric Materials, School of Sciences, Xijing University, Xi'an, 710123, People's Republic of China
| | - Ping Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Huimin Zhang
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Advanced Photo-electronics Materials and Energy Conversion Device, Key Laboratory of Organic Polymer Photoelectric Materials, School of Sciences, Xijing University, Xi'an, 710123, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuzhen Zhao
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Advanced Photo-electronics Materials and Energy Conversion Device, Key Laboratory of Organic Polymer Photoelectric Materials, School of Sciences, Xijing University, Xi'an, 710123, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanfang Zhu
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Advanced Photo-electronics Materials and Energy Conversion Device, Key Laboratory of Organic Polymer Photoelectric Materials, School of Sciences, Xijing University, Xi'an, 710123, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhun Guo
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Advanced Photo-electronics Materials and Energy Conversion Device, Key Laboratory of Organic Polymer Photoelectric Materials, School of Sciences, Xijing University, Xi'an, 710123, People's Republic of China
| | - Cheng Ma
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Advanced Photo-electronics Materials and Energy Conversion Device, Key Laboratory of Organic Polymer Photoelectric Materials, School of Sciences, Xijing University, Xi'an, 710123, People's Republic of China
| | - Haiquan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Zongcheng Miao
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Optics and Electronics (iOPEN), Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenbo Shen
- Research Center for Intelligent Sensing, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou, 311100, People's Republic of China
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4
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Ahmad F, Jeon AR, Jeon YJ, Jamil M. A novel technique of fabrication of nanoparticle acrylate doped polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) film. J DISPER SCI TECHNOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/01932691.2021.1874966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Farzana Ahmad
- LCD Research Center, Department of Chemistry, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - A-Ri Jeon
- LCD Research Center, Department of Chemistry, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Young Jae Jeon
- LCD Research Center, Department of Chemistry, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Muhammad Jamil
- Department of Global Business, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Physics, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
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5
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Saeed MH, Zhang S, Cao Y, Zhou L, Hu J, Muhammad I, Xiao J, Zhang L, Yang H. Recent Advances in The Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Composite and Its Applications. Molecules 2020; 25:E5510. [PMID: 33255525 PMCID: PMC7727789 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25235510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) have kindled a spark of interest because of their unique characteristic of electrically controlled switching. However, some issues including high operating voltage, low contrast ratio and poor mechanical properties are hindering their practical applications. To overcome these drawbacks, some measures were taken such as molecular structure optimization of the monomers and liquid crystals, modification of PDLC and doping of nanoparticles and dyes. This review aims at detailing the recent advances in the process, preparations and applications of PDLCs over the past six years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsin Hassan Saeed
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; (M.H.S.); (Y.C.); (L.Z.); (I.M.)
| | - Shuaifeng Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Department of Materials Physics and Chemistry, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China; (S.Z.); (J.H.)
| | - Yaping Cao
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; (M.H.S.); (Y.C.); (L.Z.); (I.M.)
| | - Le Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; (M.H.S.); (Y.C.); (L.Z.); (I.M.)
| | - Junmei Hu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Department of Materials Physics and Chemistry, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China; (S.Z.); (J.H.)
| | - Imran Muhammad
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; (M.H.S.); (Y.C.); (L.Z.); (I.M.)
| | - Jiumei Xiao
- Department of Applied Mechanics, University of Sciences and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China;
| | - Lanying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; (M.H.S.); (Y.C.); (L.Z.); (I.M.)
| | - Huai Yang
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; (M.H.S.); (Y.C.); (L.Z.); (I.M.)
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Kizhakidathazhath R, Nishikawa H, Okumura Y, Higuchi H, Kikuchi H. High-Performance Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Enabled by Uniquely Designed Acrylate Monomer. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:E1625. [PMID: 32707769 PMCID: PMC7466073 DOI: 10.3390/polym12081625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The widespread electro-optical applications of polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) are hampered by their high-driving voltage. Attempts to fabricate PDLC devices with low driving voltage sacrifice other desirable features of PDLCs. There is thus a clear need to develop a method to reduce the driving voltage without diminishing other revolutionary features of PDLCs. Herein, we report a low-voltage driven PDLC system achieved through an elegantly simple and uniquely designed acrylate monomer (A3DA) featuring a benzene moiety with a dodecyl terminal chain. The PDLC films were fabricated by the photopolymerization of mono- and di-functional acrylate monomers (19.2 wt%) mixed in a nematic liquid crystal E7 (80 wt%). The PDLC film with A3DA exhibited an abrupt decline of driving voltage by 75% (0.55 V/μm) with a high contrast ratio (16.82) while maintaining other electro-optical properties almost the same as the reference cell. The response time was adjusted to satisfactory by tuning the monomer concentration while maintaining the voltage significantly low (3 ms for a voltage of 0.98 V/μm). Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed the polyhedral foam texture morphology with an average mesh size of approximately 2.6 μm, which is less in comparison with the mesh size of reference PDLC (3.4 μm), yet the A3DA-PDLC showed low switching voltage. Thus, the promoted electro-optical properties are believed to be originated from the unique polymer networks formed by A3DA and its weak anchoring behavior on LCs. The present system with such a huge reduction in driving voltage and enhanced electro-optical performance opens up an excellent way for abundant perspective applications of PDLCs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Hirotsugu Kikuchi
- Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan; (H.N.); (Y.O.); (H.H.)
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7
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Abdulhalim I, Madhuri PL, Diab M, Mokari T. Novel easy to fabricate liquid crystal composite with potential for electrically or thermally controlled transparency windows. OPTICS EXPRESS 2019; 27:17387-17401. [PMID: 31252949 DOI: 10.1364/oe.27.017387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Switchable liquid crystal (LC) composites are a unique and attractive class of functional materials due to their extensive use in various applications including smart and privacy windows. Demand for developing smart windows with good switchable performance has steadily increasing in the past decades due to their importance in energy saving. Herein, we present the use of novel and highly active switchable LC composite material-octadecanol-doped LC-prepared via a facile, low-cost, and scalable process, for thermally or electrically controlled transparency windows. A systematic study of the switchable behavior reveals the formation of a reversible molecular arrangement between the LC and the octadecanol, which allows control of the transparency through scattering modulation of the device by voltage or temperature. The devices fabricated by sandwiching the LC composite material between two ITO-covered glass slides present switchable performance with high potential for cost-effective utilization in various applications, such as light shutters, smart or privacy windows.
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8
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Influence of azo dye concentration on dielectric response in polymer dispersed liquid crystal composites. J Mol Liq 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2019.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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9
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Liang ZY, Tu CY, Yang TH, Liu CK, Cheng KT. Low-Threshold-Voltage and Electrically Switchable Polarization-Selective Scattering Mode Liquid Crystal Light Shutters. Polymers (Basel) 2018; 10:E1354. [PMID: 30961278 PMCID: PMC6401727 DOI: 10.3390/polym10121354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Low-threshold-voltage (Vth) and electrically switchable, polarization-selective scattering mode light shutters (PSMLSs) using polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) are demonstrated in this work. The optimized weight ratio of the nematic liquid crystals (LCs) to the adopted monomer (NBA107, Norland Optics) in the low-Vth PDLCs based on NBA107 is 7:3, [7:3]-PDLCsNBA107. The properties of the low-Vth PDLCsNBA107, such as light-scattering performance, initial transmission, Vth, and droplet size were investigated. Experiment results show that the surface anchoring (threshold-voltage) of NBA107 is weaker (lower) than or equal to that of the common NOA65. The cost is that the response time of the proposed PDLCsNBA107 is relatively long. A method to reduce the decay time, which can be applied to all other PDLC devices, will be elucidated. In addition to the low Vth of the proposed PDLCsNBA107, the operation voltage (~6 Vrms) to approach the maximum transmission is relatively low in a 7 μm-thick PDLCsNBA107 cell. Moreover, the polarization-selective light-scattering performances of the proposed PSMLSs based on the [7:3]-PDLCsNBA107, mainly driven by in-plane and vertical fields, are also demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe-Yung Liang
- Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, 320 Taoyuan, Taiwan.
| | - Ching-Yen Tu
- Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, 320 Taoyuan, Taiwan.
| | - Tsung-Hsun Yang
- Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, 320 Taoyuan, Taiwan.
| | - Cheng-Kai Liu
- Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, 320 Taoyuan, Taiwan.
| | - Ko-Ting Cheng
- Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, 320 Taoyuan, Taiwan.
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Ramirez JC, Schianti JN, Souto DEP, Kubota LT, Hernandez-Figueroa HE, Gabrielli LH. Dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment of modified SU-8 for biosensing applications. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2018; 9:2168-2175. [PMID: 29760978 PMCID: PMC5946779 DOI: 10.1364/boe.9.002168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
In this work we demonstrate the use of a dielectric barrier discharge plasma for the treatment of SU-8. The resulting hydrophilic surface displays a 5° contact angle and (0.40 ± 0.012) nm roughness. Using this technique we also present a proof of concept of IgG and prostate specific antigen biodetection on a thin layer of SU-8 over gold via surface plasmon resonance detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhonattan C. Ramirez
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Campinas, 13083-852 Campinas, SP,
Brazil
| | - Juliana N. Schianti
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Campinas, 13083-852 Campinas, SP,
Brazil
| | - Denio E. P. Souto
- National Institute of Science and Technology of Bioanalytics, University of Campinas, 13083-970 Campinas, SP,
Brazil
| | - Lauro T. Kubota
- National Institute of Science and Technology of Bioanalytics, University of Campinas, 13083-970 Campinas, SP,
Brazil
| | | | - Lucas H. Gabrielli
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Campinas, 13083-852 Campinas, SP,
Brazil
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Effect of ZnO nanoparticles on the morphology, dielectric, electro-optic and photo luminescence properties of a confined ferroelectric liquid crystal material. J Mol Liq 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2017.12.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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12
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Wu Q, Wang Y. Low driving voltage ITO doped polymer-dispersed liquid crystal film and reverse voltage pulse driving method. APPLIED OPTICS 2017; 56:8159-8163. [PMID: 29047679 DOI: 10.1364/ao.56.008159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
This paper investigates the effects of indium tin oxide (ITO) powders on the driving voltage of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC). The threshold voltage (Vth) and driving voltage (Vd) can be reduced through doping the ITO powders; in particular, the Vd is 5.8 V when the weight ratio of ITO is 1.5 wt. %. The relationship between the applied voltage and off-time of PDLC has been investigated; the lower the applied voltage, the shorter the off-time. On this basis, the reverse voltage pulse driving method was proposed; this driving method uses the driving signal to reduce the off-time of PDLC.
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