PA11 Phase stability and electro-optical properties of polymer-stabilized blue phase with hydrogen-bonded polymer-network

Abstract

A polymer-stabilized blue phase (PSBP) is thermodynamically stabilized by a polymer network (PN) formed through an in-situ photo-polymerization of monomers in a BP. However the electro-optical properties of PSBP depend on the PN structure. In this study, we investigated the influence of monomers which have hydrogen-bonding capacity on a temperature range of BP before photo-polymerization and the characteristics of prepared PSBP. When the hydrogen-bonding monomers were used, the temperature range of BP was slightly expanded before UV irradiation. The electro-optical response of PSBP prepared using hydrogen-bonding monomers showed fluctuation of transmittance during application of electric voltage. This result suggests that a structural change in polymer network in the PSBP was induced by the electric field.