Dissipative Structures in Liquid Crystal-Polymer Composite Systems

Abstract

When a voltage is applied to a nematic liquid crystal system, a dissipative structure, nematic electroconvection, is generated. In a planar aligned system, various convective patterns appear depending on the voltage. On the other hand, various studies on liquid crystal-polymer composite systems have been carried out to utilize the stabilizing effect of polymer networks on liquid crystal orientation. In this study, the polymer network is regarded as a porous medium, and the effects of the polymer network on the electroconvective structures are investigated.