Name : 23rd Symposium on Liquid Crystals
Number : 23
Location : [in Japanese]
Date : September 25, 1997 - September 27, 1997
A polymer-dispersedliquid crystals (PDLC) provides novel display devices which take advantages of the scattering mode. It has been known that the photocontrol of in-plane liquid crystal alignment is achieved by linearly polarized light (LPL)irradiation of azobenzene polymer thin films. In the present study, we investigated the photocontrol of liquid crystal alignment in PDLC containing azobenzene chromophores.PDLC cells were fabricated by' heating of mixtures of an azobenzene monoacrylate monomer, a diacrylate and a nematic liquidcrystal which was sandwiched between two silicaplates.Dichroic absorption of azobenzene chromophores and birefringence were observed when 436 nm-LPL was irradiated because of the anisotropic orientation of both azobenzene chromophores and liquid crystals. Properties of this type of photosensitive PDLC was also discussed.
