The naturally occurring property of liquid crystals (LC) to exhibit ordered structures coupled with the ability to control this local order with stimuli including heat, light, shear, electricity, and magnetism is an enabler in a variety of dynamic optical and electronic applications.  Introducing polymeric materials and  scaffolds  into these systems makes feasible nanocomposite systems whose responsiveness (magnitude and time scale)  can be modified.  We discuss developments in photosensitive, liquid crystal/polymer systems which have been advanced by concerted collaboration of the authors over the last decade.  These include photoresponsive thin liquid crystal polymer networks films whose dynamic behavior can be controlled by size and shape of the film, the molecular constituents, and the relative orientation behavior of the LC domains within and across the film thickness.  A variety of macroscopic polymer-based structures which  have been engineered through local, mesoscopic ordering to exhibit a number of photomechanical effects will be shown.  We introduce templated polymer network structures formed by the photopolymerization from within an ordered cholesteric liquid crystal fluid whose dynamic properties are greatly improved. We also demonstrate next generation optical controllers that allow switching of light based on polymeric, liquid crystalline films.  The photopolymerization of novel LC monomers in a variety of anisotropic environments is the global theme of the work.

Photosensitive polymer/liquid crystal mixtures

245th National Meeting (2013)

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